Angel's Beginnings
by kp1185
Summary: Everyone has a past.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Plano, Texas - May 17, 1953

"Let me go!"

The teenage boy ripped his arm away from the grasp of the girl chasing him.

"Paul, please stop, we have to talk about this!" she pleaded, nearly running to keep up with his quick strides

He stopped and whirled on her. "What Diana, what else do we have to talk about?!". He fought back tears as he stood looking at her both hands pressed to his temples. He had to get away from her. Had to get out of here. This was too much. This couldn't be happening.

Momentarily taken aback by his sudden and harsh acknowledgement of her, Diana stood stunned for a few moments. She recovered and with a voice obviously straining to remain calm she began.

"Look, I know this is hard for you to take in. It was hard for me too. But its true and we can't change that, Paul, as much as we'd like to." She paused. Her carefully prepared speech that she had practiced all morning took a sudden departure from her memory. She fought for more words, anything that would keep Paul standing in front of her.

Unable to stand the silence any longer, Paul let out a frustrated sigh and turned to walk away again.

"No!", Diana shouted, again grabbing the sleeve of his letter jacket. Her carefully worded speech abandoned, different words started tumbling from her mouth.

"You can't just walk away, this baby is just as much yours as it is mine, and we are going to deal with it together whether you like it or not!", she said, a little less calmly than before. She stopped, waiting for a reaction. She got one.

"How do I even know it's mine?", Paul yelled almost hysterically. "That kid could be anyone's for all I know!".

Now it was her turn to be angry.

"Oh Jesus Christ Paul, you know you're the only one I've ever…" She trailed off not wanting to actually say it.

"I don't know that! You hang around with lots of guys!", he accused angrily. He let out a harsh laugh. " What about that guy Danny? And your lab partner in chemistry, and that guy that hangs around you all the time while your cheering at the games? How do I know that I'm the only one!". His biting words echoed in the empty high school gym. The verbal tirade over he stood silently his green eyes glaring at her intensely, his chest heaving from both fighting back tears and the stress of the situation.

Both teens turned suddenly as they heard footsteps. The janitor poked his head around the corner where the kids had been arguing,

"Everything ok?", he asked awkwardly, taking in both of the teens unhappy appearance.

Paul ran a hand through his blonde crewcut. "Yeah, we're ok, sorry for yelling".

The janitor nodded and continued to look at Diana, unconvinced by Paul's answer.

Noticing his inquiring gaze, Diana snapped out of her silent reverie. "Uh..yes sir, we're fine, just a little argument", she stammered.

Apparently satisfied with her answer, he nodded again. "Ok, well I need to lock up the gym, its after 7 and you kids better be running along home."

"Sure thing.", Paul said quietly. He looked at Diana and motioned to the nearby door with a tilt of his head. The two teens bid goodnight to the well meaning janitor and walked out the door and to the student parking lot without speaking. Diana turned to look back at the gym and saw the lights go off through the window. It got much darker. Paul's hand on her shoulder brought her attention back to the situation at hand.

"I'm sorry, babe, I was a real jerk back there." he said softly, turning her around to face him. The interruption from the school janitor had given him a few seconds to realize how childish and stupid he had been acting. Diana's news had shocked him. Up until that moment fifteen minutes ago, this had been the best day of his life. He was in his senior year of high school a month shy of graduation and had played varsity basketball since his sophomore year. A tall, well built and athletic young man, Paul played many sports but really shined at basketball. As team captain, he had seen the college scouts at many games that season and a few had even come up to him after games to talk to him. That morning he'd gotten a letter from the University of Texas informing him that he would be awarded a full scholarship if he would play basketball for them in the upcoming year. Now he felt that all slipping away from him. He couldn't sacrifice all that to stay here and take care of a baby.

Diana nodded, biting her lip. She willed the tears not to come, but they did anyway. She was unaware of Paul's scholarship and inner conflict. She was only fifteen years old. A slim, pretty girl with long wavy dark brown hair and big brown eyes. She was only a sophomore in high school but she had found her niche as a cheerleader and dancer. Her world was ruined by this unwanted pregnancy. Her mother had cried when the doctor had told them the news. She hadn't told her father yet but she was sure he would disown her when she did. Pregnant in high school, she would be a teenage mother and that would be it for her and all of her dreams. Her parents would pull her out of school and send her off somewhere to avoid the shame that this scandal would bring to her family. She never dreamed that this would have happened when she first met Paul.

Tall and handsome, she had had a crush on him since the moment he had taken the seat behind her in algebra class. She had been placed in a senior level class due to her outstanding aptitude at math and had been so nervous that first day of school until he had tapped her shoulder to ask to borrow a pencil. Turning around to give him one, she noticed three sharpened pencils on his desk. He had laughed and then with a shrug, admitted that he had just wanted to talk to her. They had flirted for weeks before he had finally asked her out. They had gone to a drive thru movie. If asked, neither could probably have told what movie they had seen. They had spent the entire time talking and laughing. He had been the perfect gentleman, and when he had dropped her off that night, she thought for sure that he was the man of her dreams, the man she was going to marry. Now it looked like that was definitely going to happen, though not at all the way she had wanted it to be, she thought bitterly. They had dated all throughout the school year and for the first few months, he was a gentleman, so kind and sweet. Then they had gone out to Lake Travis with a bunch of friends for a weekend during spring vacation. It had seemed so right then, the moonlight, the stars, and the sound of the lake gently lapping the shore, and she had given into him without too much hesitation. She had felt so guilty the next morning, and he had comforted her, promising that they would never do it again until they were married. Now that day looked to be much sooner than either of their teenage fantasies could have comprehended.

Paul drew her into a hug. "Look, I'm sorry. For everything. We'll work this out. I'm just so..so..are you sure your pregnant?" he blurted out stupidly.

Diana lifted her head from his shoulder and glared at him indignantly.

"Ok, Ok, have you told your parents?" he asked.

"My mom knows, we haven't told Daddy yet." She trailed off, her brown eyes again welling with tears.

"How…" he stopped, unsure how to ask his question. "how…pregnant are you?" Well that wasn't it.

She gave him a puzzled look, then suddenly understood. "Oh, the doctor said that I was about eight weeks along."

Paul closed his eyes. They had only done it once, two months ago. It all fit, the baby was his. Not that he really expected otherwise. He knew she had been faithful to him. Diana let out a soft sob.

"We'll figure it out, I promise, please don't cry." he pleaded hugging her tightly.

"I have to tell him soon though, and-" she paused and withdrew from his embrace, " I think you should be there when I do".

Paul recoiled in horror. "Shit, babe, he'll break my neck! I can't be there! Are you crazy!?"

Diana wiped her eyes and let out a disgusted sigh. "So you just plan to avoid him your whole life then? I still live there you know. I guess we could work around that though, maybe I'll move into your room, I think a crib would fit in there, or better yet we could pass the baby between each other over the fence every week before my dad gets home.", she retorted sarcastically, glaring at him with her arms crossed in front of her.

Paul groaned and threw his head back. He hated her sarcasm. "Fine, I'll talk to him with you. When do you want to do this?"

Diana thought for a moment. " Tomorrow. Come over for dinner and we'll talk afterwards when he's in a good mood."

Paul nodded. "Should I maybe bring something? A dessert or something to butter him up?"

Diana laughed derisively. "Sure, you got his only daughter pregnant. A pie should fix it. Better make it apple".

He looked hurt. She sighed, " I'm sorry. Sure bring something over.", she looked down at her watch. " It's getting late, can you give me a ride home? I told Marla to go on without me after the game so we could talk.."

"Yeah sure, of course." He took her hand and guided her to his beat up old Chevy truck. They rode the five minutes to Diana's house in silence, each lost in their own thoughts. Paul pulled up to the side of her house, put the truck in park and jumped out to open the door for her. He helped her climb out of the truck. The couple stood there in front of the idling truck awkwardly not knowing what to say.

"So, I'll see you tomorrow evening then?", Paul finally said quietly looking out into the street.

"Around six, yeah if you can." She was looking down at her feet. How much longer would she be able to see them? She looked back up towards Paul, who was still gazing out into the dark street, hands in his pockets. "Hey, tell your mom tonight huh?"

That earned her some eye contact.

Paul's gaze met her. He hadn't thought of the fact that his mother would have to be told sooner or later. He stammered uncertainly, then muttered a curse under his breath. "Yeah ok, I'll tell her." he agreed looking back out into the street.

She rocked back and forth on her heels, wondering how to word her next phrase.

"You know they're gonna want us to get married, right?" she said quietly.

She might as well have swung a baseball bat into his stomach. His head whipped around to stare at her in disbelief, his green eyes open wide in panic. That had yet to cross his mind. He quickly caught himself and cleared his throat trying to play off his horrified reaction. He opened his mouth to say something, but the lump in his throat prevented it. He merely nodded and again ran a nervous hand over his closely cropped hair.

"Goodnight, Paul." Diana said turning on her heels and walking through the lawn to her front door.

"Goodnight." Paul answered back in a voice that wasn't even recognizable to him.

Diana opened her front door and walked in. She was disgusted. She had expected Paul to be upset, but he acted as though she was giving him a horrible disease instead of a baby. She was the one that had to carry the baby, she thought angrily. No one would see him on the streets in six months and automatically know that he was going to be a father. The least he could do was own up to the responsibility without acting like she had purposely ruined his life.

Outside, Paul watched her enter her house. Muttering curses to himself he shook his head and put his face in his hands. How could this have happened? One minute he was on top of the world, and the next his dreams were shattered and he would have to be forced to give up his scholarship to marry his girlfriend and have a baby. To be stuck in this town for the rest of his life. He got into his truck, slammed the door, and pulled out into the street, heading in the opposite direction of his own home but not realizing it.

He couldn't get married. He couldn't be a father. It wasn't fair. There had to be some way out of this.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Randy Sullivan sat frozen on the couch in his living room across from his only daughter. His right hand, holding a fork with a piece of apple pie speared on it, was suspended in the air halfway between his open mouth and the plate on his lap.

"Oh my God," he muttered. The piece of pie slipped off the fork and splatted back onto the plate.

"Daddy, I'm sorry." Diana said tearfully. She looked at her mother, Elizabeth, and Paul for help. Both were useless. Paul looked terrified. He was sitting next to her on the couch, an untouched plate of pie in his hands and both knees bouncing frantically. Her mother faced the wall sobbing noiselessly.

Randy, his appetite lost, set down his plate on the coffee table and took off his glasses to wipe on his shirt.

"How did this happen?" he asked calmly, his attention focused on his glasses

Diana stared at him blankly. Paul coughed.

Realizing the inanity of his question he flushed and cleared his throat.

"What do you two plan to do about this. I am assuming the baby is yours, boy, or else you wouldn't be here." he said quietly looking at the nervous sweating boy.

"Yes, sir." Paul squeaked.

"What do you plan to do about this?" he asked again, louder this time, fighting and failing to reign in his temper. The urge to rip Paul to pieces was overwhelming.

Neither teen answered. Elizabeth let out a choked sob and scurried into the kitchen. The sound of pots and pans banging around in the sink was heard moments later.

"Don't just sit there. Answer me!". he shouted angrily. He got up off the couch and stood in front of his daughter. "You're an adult now, girl, you better have an answer for me." he raged. "What do you plan to do?!"

Diana jumped at her father's sudden shouting. She had never seen him so angry before. She looked to Paul for help. His face was chalk white and he was staring at his pie, sweating profusely.

Randy snorted in disgust. "You best say something to me boy. You plan to marry my daughter?" he snapped furiously.

Paul's eyes widened. He looked up at his girlfriend's enormous father. He had every right to be intimidated. Randy stood about 6' 3", had a deep booming voice and was built like a football player. Right now, with his hands balled into fists and his eyes glittering with rage glaring down at him, Paul wished desperately that the earth would open up and swallow him whole.

"Yes sir, I- uh.." he coughed, trying to get his voice back to its normal octave " I want to marry your daughter. I want to marry Diana.". Her father sneered at him and cursed loudly. Paul looked at him in confusion. Hadn't he answered correctly? He shifted nervously in his seat, and unsure of what else to do, took a bite of his pie.

"You have a job?" Randy asked doubtfully

"No sir, but I can get one this su-"

"Well you better, babies are expensive." Randy spat interrupting him. He turned to his daughter, deciding that he was done talking to Paul.

"How could you be so stupid." he asked through gritted teeth

"I'm sorry." Diana said softly "I really am Daddy, I'll get a job too, we'll get married and it'll all be ok."

Randy burst into laughter. Diana looked down uncomfortably waiting for him to say something.

"It's all that simple then?" he sneered sarcastically. "Well, I'm going out, you kids seem to have all this figured out anyway." He grabbed his hat from the table and stormed out without saying another word. Both kids jumped as the door slammed.

Paul and Diana sat in the couch in silence trying to comprehend what had just happened.

Diana broke the silence.

"And here you were worried that he'd be angry."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Houston, Texas

December 9, 1953

The blue Ford screeched to a halt in front of the city hospital. Randy Sullivan threw back the drivers side door, leaped out and yanked open the door to the backseat.

"Hurry up Elizabeth!" he shouted frantically. His wife let out a stream of uncharacteristically colorful words as she struggled with her seatbelt.

"Mama hurry!" Diana groaned. Her father had pulled her to a sitting position in the backseat. Her hand was on her enormous belly and she was panting hard.

Finally free of the confining seatbelt, Elizabeth skidded to a halt in front of her daughter leaving the passenger door wide open.

With her parents help, Diana was hurried to the front desk of the emergency room.

"How can I help you?" the woman at the front desk asked sweetly.

Diana looked at her in disbelief. Wasn't it obvious?

"She's having a baby!" her mother screeched much too loudly.

"Alright", the woman said pleasantly. She reached down and pulled out a small stack of papers. "If you could just fill out these forms," she pushed them towards Diana.

"What?!" Diana gasped. "I can't fill out forms I-" she suddenly let out a scream of pain and fell into the front desk counter. Her father caught her and held her up.

The woman stood up quickly and rushed off. A moment later she returned, two nurses at her side, one pushing a wheelchair in front of her.

"Ok dear, we're taking you into maternity, just try to relax.", one of the nurses said soothingly as she helped Randy ease her into the chair.

Diana gritted her teeth and nodded. Her hair was damp with sweat and her face was pale. The nurse looked at her. Something wasn't right.

The two nurses wheeled Diana away, leaving her parents staring after her.

"You can wait in the maternity waiting room, if you like." the woman at the front desk said softly, putting a hand on Elizabeth's shoulder.

Elizabeth jumped at the sudden contact. "Oh, yes…thank you very much."

A few hours later, Randy and Elizabeth were sitting in the waiting room, staring at each other, occasionally looking up hopefully every time someone new entered the room.

Elizabeth sighed. "I wish that boy had stayed and married her like he said he would."

Randy snorted. "Don't mention that sorry son of a bitch. If he ever shows his face here I swear I'll kill him with my bare hands." He grabbed a magazine from the side table and started flipping through it, turning the pages viciously.

Elizabeth looked down and moaned into her hands. This had been a trying year for the entire family. Following Diana's announcement in May, life had been a whirlwind of confusion, stress, and broken promises. Paul and Diana had planned to be married that July, before Diana would be showing too much. For awhile, Elizabeth had resigned herself to the idea of her daughter being married to Paul. She had taken an instant liking to the handsome and polite boy when Diana had first brought him over to meet them last October. Had the circumstances been different, she would have readily welcomed the idea of his marrying her daughter. Of course, circumstances couldn't be changed. What had happened had happened and there was no point hating the boy for it. Things had started to calm down. Paul had graduated from high school and had gotten a job at the local grocery store. They had planned to move Diana out to Houston with her aunt and uncle to have the baby. No need for the entire town to know their business they had concluded. After the summer, they had planned to move the kids out to Houston where Paul could find another job and they could start their life together, away from the prying eyes of nosy neighbors and classmates. However, the wedding was never to be. Paul had disappeared one day in mid-June. They had asked his mother and she claimed not to know his whereabouts. Elizabeth was sure she was lying. Diana had been absolutely crushed and Elizabeth could do nothing to comfort her. She didn't hate Paul for running out on his responsibilities and hoped that one day he would come back. Everyone knew his father had been killed in France during the Second World War. He knew what it was like to grow up without a father, so surely he wouldn't doom his own child to the same fate. No, she didn't hate him and held on the hope that he would return.

On the other hand, while she didn't hate him, Randy hated him enough for the both of them. He had gone out to Austin looking for Paul a few weeks after his disappearance. He had obviously been unsuccessful in his search and had come back after a few days cursing the boy and everything that he stood for. With the wedding called off, Randy and Elizabeth had moved Diana to Houston that September. Her pregnancy had been a hard one. She was so young and such a small and slender girl. It seemed as her belly grew bigger, the rest of her got paler, sicker, and more frail. She was constantly sick and could barely keep a meal down. Everyone hoped that the baby wouldn't be affected by Diana's sickness.

The door to the waiting room opened and a grim faced doctor stepped into the room. Randy and Elizabeth looked up at him hopefully, awaiting news on their daughter.

"Mr. and Mrs. Sullivan?" the doctor asked.

"Yes, how is she" Randy asked eagerly standing up and hurrying over, Elizabeth following and clinging to him nervously.

The doctor cleared his throat and took a deep breath. "My name is Dr. Michaels and I'm afraid I have some bad news." he paused and gestured to the chairs. "Please sit down."

Randy paled. He felt bile rise up in the back of his throat. Bad news? Oh God. With two sons in Korea, he dreaded bad news every time he opened the mailbox. Now here it was right in front of his face.

The couple sat down holding each others hands. Dr. Michaels sat down across from them.

"The baby is fine. It's a girl, but," he paused and swallowed hard. He hated this part of his job. "but there were complications with the birth."

Randy inhaled sharply. He felt his eyes start to sting. He knew what was coming next but hoped to God, that he was wrong. At his side, he could hear Elizabeth panting, trying her best to control her breathing.

"We did everything we could for her," he continued, "but we couldn't stop the bleeding in time. When we did, it was too late. She had lost far too much blood. I'm afraid that she-" he took a breat. "I'm afraid she didn't make it."

He stopped and looked uncomfortably at the devastated couple, letting his words sink in.

Elizabeth let out a long wail of agony and buried her face in Randy's jacket rocking back and forth. Randy sat stunned, staring at the doctor's face.

"I'm so very sorry for your loss. If you'd like to see her, you can. The baby is in the nursery right now. Whenever you're ready you can come get her. Again, I'm very sorry. If you need anything please let us know. The hospital chaplain will be in to see you in a few minutes."

Randy sat silently, still in shock. The only sound was Elizabeth's anguished sobbing. The doctor gently patted Randy on the shoulder as he stood and left the waiting room without another word, leaving the couple alone to their grief.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

"Which one is she." Randy asked the nurse wearily. It had been a few hours since he had learned of his daughter's death. And though his world had been turned upside down, he still had obligations to fulfill.

The young nurse smiled at him and walked to the back of the nursery looking for the Sullivan baby. She located her and scooped her into her arms.

"Here she is, sir," the nurse said cooing at the baby.

Randy looked down at the sleeping baby girl wrapped in the pink blanket without much interest.

Confused by his indifference, the nurse held out the baby, thinking he would take her in his arms. When he didn't, she cleared her throat expectantly.

Finally understanding, Randy took the baby girl and took another look at her. She really was a beautiful baby. As if on cue, she yawned and opened her eyes.

The nurse seemed delighted by this action but Randy was revolted. The baby had green eyes just like her father.

Unnerved by his reaction to the child, the nurse cleared her throat again and gently asked, "What is her name?"

Randy grunted. "I don't know, we haven't agreed on one yet." Actually they had hardly talked about it throughout Diana's pregnancy. It was as if not talking about the baby made it disappear.

"Well, sir she needs a name, what shall we put on the birth certificate?"

Randy looked at the young nurse. She had on a name tag. Kelly. That sounded good enough to him.

"Kelly." He said. "Her name is Kelly." And with that he turned and walked out of the nursery.

Nurse Kelly frowned. She was unaware of the Sullivan's situation and didn't understand the man's cold indifference to the beautiful little infant. Usually parents were thrilled when picking up their new additions. She had thought it strange that the baby had remained unclaimed in the nursery almost six hours after her birth. She sighed and looked down at her nametag. She had just gotten married the previous summer. Good thing for that baby, she thought to herself. Her maiden name had been Harrison.

Baby Kelly spent the first two months of her life with her grandparents back at their home in Plano.

Randy and Elizabeth went through the motions of being parents all over again. But this time it was different. This baby had been a mistake and had cost their daughter her life, and untold grief to them. They knew that it wasn't the baby's fault, but it didn't change things.

Baby Kelly did her best to spite her grandparents by growing to resemble her father. She not only had his green eyes, but it appeared she had his facial features as well. To add to their pain, she started to sprout dark brown hair. Her mother's dark brown hair.

One night in late February, Elizabeth came out of the baby's room having just fed her. She walked past her husband who was watching television and sat down heavily on the couch. Suddenly, she burst into tears.  
Startled, Randy rushed over to her.

"Honey, what's wrong," he asked gently, though he knew the answer.

"I can't take care of her anymore. She looks just like him, and- I just- I ju-" She dissolved into tears again, unable to continue.

Randy nodded. He had had an idea in his head ever since Kelly's birth, yet he had been afraid to mention it. Now, however, he thought it was time. He stood, walked into the baby's room and stopped by the crib. Diana's old crib.

She was sleeping peacefully. He reached in and scooped her up. She gurgled in protest, but luckily didn't start crying.

Kelly in his arms, he walked back into the living room. "Let's go," he said quietly.

Elizabeth looked up, not understanding. She wiped her face with her sleeve. "Go where?"

"Her mother is-" he paused, wondering how to word it, then decided it was best to not even try. "You can't take care of her, I don't want to take care of her, that goddamn boy doesn't want to take care of her." he stopped, noticing Elizabeth's expression of horror.

He gave her an exasperated look. "There's an orphanage in Dallas," he started to explain. "It's run by nuns, someone there will take care of her, and maybe she'll be adopted into a good home. It's for the best."

"You mean just abandon her?," Elizabeth asked her eyes wide.

"No, not abandon her," Randy said quickly, then after thinking for a few seconds changed his mind. "Well yes, but it's not like we're leaving her by the side of the road. They'll take care of her there, they have to."

Elizabeth didn't say anything.

Randy sighed, "They're nuns." he said firmly, as if this explained everything. He wasn't sure who he was trying to convince more, himself or his wife.

Finally, she nodded her head. "Ok, let's go."

The couple drove the forty five minutes to Dallas in silence. Randy drove, while Elizabeth sat in the passenger seat, Baby Kelly wrapped in a yellow blanket asleep in her arms.

They arrived at the orphanage a little after 11pm. It was dark and seemed to be deserted. Randy turned off the car and the couple waited in silence for a few minutes.

"You ready?" he asked looking at his wife.

She responded by opening the car door and stepping out with the baby. Randy got out of the car and went around to open the trunk. He pulled out a small peach basket and a piece of paper. Elizabeth placed Baby Kelly in the basket and gently set her on the ground by the car. Randy handed her the piece of paper and a pen. They had decided that she would be the one to write the note during the car ride.

Sighing, Elizabeth took the pen and wrote in large letters.

PLEASE TAKE CARE OF ME

MY NAME IS KELLY SULLIVAN

Randy leaned over to admire her handiwork. He recoiled when he saw his last name scrawled on the paper.

"What are you doing?! Don't put our last name on there, how many Sullivan's do you think there are in this area.", he scolded as he ripped off the part of the paper bearing his surname.

Satisfied with the new sign, he placed it in Kelly's basket as he lifted it and carried it to the front steps.

It was a cold February night, he could see his breath as it steamed from his mouth. He set the basket down. Hopefully they would find her soon.

He stood, trying to decide what to do. Then he raised his fist and banged loudly on the door.

Motioning frantically for Elizabeth to get in the car, he came jogging back and jumped in the driver's seat. He quickly turned the car on and peeled out of the parking lot. As he drove away, he watched in the rearview mirror, as the door to the orphanage opened, the light revealing the basket with Baby Kelly squealing unhappily from the sudden cold.

Randy sighed in relief. He looked at Elizabeth. She didn't look at him but slipped her hand in his.

Finally, they were free to heal.

Meanwhile, Paul was finishing his first semester at the University of Texas. He had been dating a new girl that he had met in one of his classes. He was playing basketball and generally enjoying the course he had chosen for his life.

Paul was to die in a car accident in 1962. From the day he drove away from Plano, Texas for the last time to the day he died, he never once gave a second thought to Diana and his baby that she carried.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Dallas, Texas

November 27th, 1959

Five year old Kelly Garrett sat at the breakfast table gloomily stirring her oatmeal with her spoon. She was a very pretty little girl, with a thick head of wavy brown hair and beautiful green eyes. She was intelligent and witty for her age and one would think she would be popular with the other children.

She wasn't though. She was very reserved and kept to herself, only speaking when it was absolutely necessary. She did well in school but didn't enjoy it. Rather, she just seemed to go through the motions. She did her work, answered questions when asked, and did everything she was told without any interest. Now, she sat alone in a corner of the long tables in the school cafeteria eating her breakfast and waiting for the morning bell to ring, signifying the beginning of another school day. Her mind wandered to her parents. When had been a little younger, she had always held on the hope that one day they would come for her. She was still a little girl, but she was starting to come to the realization that they never would. The thought made her sad.

Her birthday was coming up, she remembered, she should be more excited. She wasn't sure of the exact date of her birth. Nobody was. She had been found in a basket on the front steps one night. The nuns had taken her to the hospital the next day and the doctor guessed her date of birth to be early December. For the past five years, the nuns had celebrated her birthday on December 1st. Kelly didn't mind much. That was just the way it was and her little mind knew no different. Her real last name was also unknown. Upon taking her to the hospital, the sisters had to fill out a birth certificate for the baby girl. The piece of paper had given her first name as Kelly, but had neglected to give her a last name. Baffled, one of the nuns offered to give the new baby her own surname, Garrett. So Kelly Garrett she had become.

Life at the orphanage was mundane. Kelly went to school, played outside, ate her meals in the cafeteria, and slept in the dormitory. In a few minutes, a bell would ring and Kelly would report to her kindergarten classroom, She looked up at the big clock above the main doors. She couldn't yet tell time but she knew that when the long arm got to the twelve that the bell would ring. It was now on the ten. She sighed and turned her attention back to stirring her oatmeal.

She was so interested in her oatmeal that she didn't notice when one of the younger nun walked over and sat down next to her.

"Good morning Kelly," the nun greeted with a kind smile.

Kelly started, dropping her spoon. It clattered against the bowl and sunk back into the oatmeal.

The nun laughed in amusement and put a gentle hand on Kelly's shoulder,

Slightly embarrassed, Kelly turned to greet the sister.

"Good morning Sister Katherine." she said quietly

"Enjoying your breakfast?" Sr. Katherine asked

The little girl nodded. Sr. Katherine looked down at the full bowl of oatmeal. She hadn't eaten very much.

"So, Kelly, your birthday is coming up isn't it." she asked the little girl.

Kelly nodded again, "It's on Tuesday." she said, then feeling the need to add something else, she continued. "I'm going to be six years old."

"Six years old!" Sr. Katherine exclaimed. "Well, now you're getting to be a big girl aren't you!"

Kelly grinned shyly and shrugged her little shoulders.

"What do you want for your birthday, child?" the nun asked her.

Kelly regarded this question with the intense thought provoking meditation that only a small child would give it.

Unable to think of anything, she gave up. "I don't know," she admitted.

"Well, I think I have something that you're going to like." the nun said deliberately drawing it out to grab Kelly's attention.

It worked.

Her interest piqued, Kelly tilted her head and asked, "What is it?"

Sr. Katherine smiled. "Put your tray away and follow me, I have some people that I think you'll want to meet."

Well, this was certainly something different. Kelly hurried over to the serving line, dumped the trash in the bin and set her tray on the counter. Then she walked back over to the long table where she had been eating breakfast. Sister Katherine was no longer there. Worried and thinking her opportunity lost if she didn't find her, Kelly's eyes darted frantically around the cafeteria. She gave a small sigh of relief when she saw Sr. Katherine standing by the double doors at the front of the building. Smiling, she headed in her direction. As she reached the nun, the bell suddenly rang. Kelly stopped and looked around, unsure of what to do. Noticing her uncertainty, Sr. Katherine took her hand and said, "Don't worry, I'll walk you into your classroom later."

Kelly relaxed and allowed the nun to lead her out of the cafeteria, down the hallway, and to the front office.

At the door to the office, Sr. Katherine released Kelly's hand and knocked. The door was opened by a stern faced sister in her mid-sixties. Kelly had always been a little afraid of Sister Mary Fitzpatrick. She felt nervous as she was lead into the office past the older nun.

"And here she is." Sr. Mary Fitzpatrick said pleasantly. "This is Kelly."

Kelly looked up to see who she was being introduced to. She saw a young couple in their late 20's. They both had blonde hair and were smiling down at her. They were dressed nicely and looked very friendly. The woman smiled and knelt down next to her. She extended her right hand.

"Hi Kelly, my name is Rachel. It's nice to finally meet you." Rachel's smile was warm and friendly, and Kelly instantly took a liking to the pretty young woman.

Kelly looked at her extended hand and hesitatingly offered hers. The lady shook it gently.

"My name is Kelly," she said unnecessarily. She blinked. They had already known her name, why had she said it again. Dumb. Embarrassed, Kelly blushed and looked down at her shoes.

Sr. Katherine picked up on Kelly's distress and decided to come to her rescue.

"Kelly is one of our best students here, she likes to dance and she loves art class, don't you Kelly?"

Kelly looked up, grateful for the help, and gave her head a little nod.

"She also has a birthday coming up," Sr. Katherine continued. "She's going to be six on Tuesday."

"Is that right?" the young man spoke up. "You're a big girl aren't you."

Kelly grinned. "I'm going to be six." she said happily. She paled and immediately looked back to Sr. Katherine for additional assistance, her face again conveying her distress. Boy, she thought, these new people sure were going to think she was dumb.

Sister Katherine held back a giggle for Kelly's sake. The girl amused her with her endearing little quirks.

"Kelly, these nice people, Rachel and David, want to take you home with them." she explained. "They want to adopt you."

Kelly looked at Sister Katherine in disbelief. Adopt her? Someone wanted to adopt her? Someone wanted to be her parents? She looked back at the couple, her green eyes asking for confirmation.

"We sure do Kelly," David said with a smile. "Would you like to come live with us?"

Kelly was speechless. She had been dreaming of the day she'd have parents since she could remember. She looked back and forth between the two nuns and the young couple. Sr. Mary Fitzpatrick smiled and nodded her head at her.

"What do you say, Kelly?" David asked again.

"Yes!" Kelly said, a little too loudly, mortified upon realizing she hadn't answered him the first time he asked.

The adults chuckled at Kelly's excitement and Kelly blushed again.

"Sister Katherine, take Kelly back to class please," Sister Mary Fitzpatrick asked. Looking at Kelly, she continued, "Kelly, this will be your last day here. Go on and finish the school day, while we get all this paperwork sorted out, and after school you can go home with the McMillans." She smiled at the little girl. "We'll sure miss you around here, little one."

Kelly grinned broadly and was led out by Sister Katherine and walked back to class. She didn't learn a thing that day. She was so excited about being adopted that she spent the entire day daydreaming about what her life was going to be like. She smiled happily to herself. Her dream was finally coming true. She was finally going to have parents.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Irving, Texas

March 16th, 1960

The past few months of Kelly's life had been the happiest she had ever known. She had gone home with the McMillans that Friday afternoon after hugging all the sisters goodbye. Sister Katherine had even given her an early birthday present. A new doll that Kelly had immediately named Lillibet. The doll wasn't really new and was actually a little worn, but Kelly didn't care. It was new to her and she loved it. She missed Sister Katherine, but life here at the McMillan's house couldn't be any better. She had started school in a real public school where the teachers weren't all nuns. She didn't even have to go to mass. That was strange to Kelly. The orphanage was all she had known.

Her new foster parents were good to her. She had her own room with a little bed and a little dresser to put her clothes in. That concept completely overwhelmed Kelly at first. She was used to sharing a dormitory with fifteen other girls and keeping all her personal belongings under her bed. Her new parents had even thrown her a birthday party with her very own cake. The little girl had been overcome with joy upon seeing the chocolate cake with six glowing candles on it. She had never seen candles on a cake before and stared at them in awe, not really knowing what they were for, but loving the sight of them. At the orphanage, the nuns had never used candles for birthday parties. Candles for every birthday party for over two hundred children would have been a needless expense. Understanding her confusion, Rachel had provided her a quick explanation of the candles, and Kelly had been all too thrilled to blow them out. She didn't bother with making a wish though. That had already come true.

Her happiness had caused her to gradually come out of her shell. She was opening up more, not only to her new parents, but to the kids at school. Her charm delighted her teachers and earned her several new friends. Life couldn't be better for the little girl.

Today had been fun day at school. Her class had taken a field trip to the Dallas Zoo and Kelly had delighted in seeing all of the animals. Now, she was on her way home, tired but happy. She looked out of the school bus window at the houses flying past her. Kelly loved riding the bus. As far back as she could remember, the school bus was only for the older kids, so she enjoyed getting to ride it. As she neared her stop, she thought about what she was going to do this weekend. She loved her new foster parents. Rachel and David were the best parents ever, she had decided. She still called them Rachel and David. Maybe she could start calling them Mom and Dad soon like all of her friends did with their parents. She was still thinking this over when the bus pulled to a stop at the corner where Kelly usually got off. Rachel always walked Kelly to the corner in the morning and met her there in the afternoons. Kelly saw Rachel standing at her corner and waved enthusiastically before picking up her school bag and making her way to the front of the bus. She said goodbye to the bus driver and jumped to the ground, skipping the two steps. Slinging her bag over her shoulder, she ran over to where Rachel was standing ready to bombard the unsuspecting woman with details of her exciting day. She quickly closed the distance between them and looked up happily at her new mother.

Instantly, Kelly knew something was wrong.

"Hey, honey, how was your day?" Rachel asked trying to put on a smile for the little girl.

Kelly wasn't fooled, but she went along with it. Her joyful mood zapped out of her, she answered her.

"It was fun, we went to the zoo. I saw a gorilla." Kelly continued talking about her day, all the while watching Rachel suspiciously.

Rachel halfway listened to the little girl, periodically nodding her head.

A few minutes later, they had walked the two blocks to the little house that they shared. Once inside, Rachel released Kelly's hand and said distractedly, "Why, don't you go upstairs and change out of your school uniform and play for awhile. I'll call you down for dinner when its ready, Ok?"

Kelly gave her a happy smile and scurried upstairs. At the top of the stairs, she stopped and looked back for a moment, all trace of the smile gone from her face. She reached her bedroom and closed the door. After quickly changing into play clothes, she grabbed Lillibet from her spot on the bed , held her close to her chest and began to pace the room.

Something was wrong and for the first time in months, Kelly was scared.

Lillibet clutched protectively to her chest, Kelly quietly opened the door to her room and tiptoed down the stairs. She paused briefly at the bottom step and strained her ears to hear something, anything, that would tell her what was going on. She heard her adoptive parents busily preparing dinner. She found it strange that they weren't talking, usually she could hear their conversation and laughter from all the way up in her room. She inched closer to the kitchen and paused again, making sure that she couldn't be seen. Satisfied with her hiding spot, she leaned her back against the wall and listened again. They still weren't talking. Just as she was about to give up and head back to her room to fret some more, David began talking in a low voice.

"Well, who knew this would happen, I know I didn't." he whispered. The bustling noises in the kitchen stopped.

"Me neither." Kelly heard Rachel say "All those doctors, they all said the same thing, you heard them, they all said it was impossible, that I couldn't…" She trailed off and the bustling continued. Neither adult spoke for a few minutes.

Eight feet away, Kelly was going mad with curiosity. The doctors said she couldn't do what? She inched closer, as if this would make her adoptive parents reveal more.

"I know, I remember." David said absently. After another long pause in which Kelly had inched even closer to the kitchen entrance, he went on. "We'll have to tell her soon, she has a right to know."

Tell who?, Kelly thought to herself. She had a strange uneasy feeling that they were talking about her now. She swallowed hard and clutched Lillibet closer. She was starting to feel sick. She shook off the queasy feeling and waited for more information.

"We'll tell her after school on Monday, that way she can have this weekend." Rachel agreed after some time. She sighed wearily. "Poor little Kelly, what will she think of us."

Kelly stopped breathing.

"She's still so young, she'll be alright, I don't want to do this to her either, but we had no idea that you could get pregnant. That's why we adopted her." David countered.

Pregnant? Her adoptive mother was pregnant? That's what all this secrecy was about? Kelly let out the breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding in a soft whoosh. Well, this was great! She'd always wanted a baby brother or sister. All worries aside, Kelly grinned broadly from ear to ear and turned to skip back up to her room.

"You know we would keep her if we could." her adoptive father's voice said. Kelly froze. The broad smile melted from her face. Feeling as if she'd been slapped, she crept back to her hiding spot to listen again. No one spoke for a few moments.

"You know we would Rachel, but we can't afford two children. And the baby will require a lot of time," he continued after getting no response from his wife, "Come on, Rach, this is what we've been wanting since we got married." he pleaded. Kelly heard his chair scrape the floor. She shrunk backwards, afraid of being caught eavesdropping. David had walked over to where Rachel stood in the kitchen.

"This is what we wanted right?" he asked again.. Kelly wouldn't have heard a response even if there had been one. She stood frozen to her spot, breathing hard and clutching Lillibet so tightly that her knuckles were turning white. They didn't want her anymore. Rachel was going to have a baby and they didn't want her anymore. Of course a baby of their own was better than an adopted girl, she thought miserably. She would go back to the orphanage, of that she was certain. She shuddered, and clenched her jaw trying to fight back the tears that were threatening to form. So lost was she in her worried thoughts, that she didn't hear David's footsteps approaching her. He exited the kitchen and turned right, with the intention of going to Kelly's room. He stopped short, surprised to see her standing there, not three feet away from the kitchen entrance.

"Kelly?" he sputtered in surprise. One look at her little face told him that she had heard everything. Rachel appeared around the corner a second later upon hearing Kelly's name. She saw the little girl standing there and closed her eyes raising her hand to her forehead as if the awkward situation could be warded off like a headache. Of course she had come down to listen, she berated herself. She wasn't stupid, she knew that something had been wrong from the second she had seen her at the bus stop. Rachel opened her eyes and looked up beseechingly at her husband. Without a word she walked back into the kitchen. David looked away and groaned in despair, not knowing what to say. Obviously, the news couldn't be put off until Monday. He knelt down and took Kelly's hand.

"Come on Kelly, lets talk Ok?" he said gently leading the little girl to a kitchen chair. Kelly followed without speaking.

"Kelly, honey, we love you very much, you know that don't you?" Rachel had taken over and was now kneeling in front of Kelly's chair, both hands on the little girl's shoulders.

Kelly nodded, tears starting to spill out of her eyes and down her cheeks. Heartbroken, she sat numbly listening to her adoptive parents explain.

"If we could keep you, we would, we just didn't know that it was possible to have a baby of our own." Rachel bit her lip, that hadn't come out quite right in her ears. She pushed it aside and went on.

"Kelly, please try to understand. We don't want to give you up but we have no choice. Do you understand that Kelly?" she pleaded, silent tears running down her own cheeks.

Kelly looked down and nodded sadly. She did understand. It wasn't the concept that Rachel was trying to explain to her, but she was definitely much wiser now. She may not have been able to put it in words, but she understood perfectly. She had no real parents and would only be loved out of convenience, until something better came along. That night, something shut off inside of little Kelly. She was on her own.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Dallas, Texas

October 9th, 1960

Kelly sat in her first grade classroom, absently rolling her pencil back and forth across her desk. The bright and happy child of a few months ago had reverted back to her withdrawn and passive self. She was supposed to be working on her penmanship like the rest of the kids but she didn't feel like it that day. Instead, she looked out the window at the rain that had been beating down mercilessly all morning. A few moments passed, and finding nothing else interesting about the rain, she looked around the classroom for the third time in the past ten minutes. The room was silent, her classmates diligently doing their assignment while the teacher, a middle aged nun with a round joyless face sat grading papers at her desk. Kelly caught the eye of her only friend Barbara, who smiled at her and shook her head. Barbara motioned towards the paper in front of her and raised her eyebrows expectantly. Kelly nodded, gave her a rueful smile and turned her attention back to her work. The day before Kelly had had her hands swatted with a switch for not completing an assignment and Barbara wanted to make sure that it didn't happen again.

Barbara was a short, cheerful redheaded girl who was Kelly's age and lived in the same dormitory that she did. She had lost her parents and younger brother in a horrible train accident two years prior and having no other family except an alcoholic uncle deemed unfit to care for her, she had become a ward of the state. Kelly had arrived at St. Agnes Orphanage a few months earlier. She had been extremely depressed upon her arrival and hadn't spoken at all to the other children for weeks. Barbara, who occupied the bunk to the left of Kelly's, had finally worn her down with her constant chatter and good natured banter. Kelly had finally given up her vow of silence and had allowed Barbara to become her friend. The two girls did everything together from eating their meals, to pulling pranks on Sister Maria, the nun in charge of their wing of the dormitory.

The McMillan's had been too ashamed to take Kelly back to the orphanage where they had adopted her from. They had searched for another one in the Dallas area and had settled on the St. Agnes Orphanage in downtown Dallas. Kelly was grateful that they had at least done that. She had not been looking forward to facing all of the old sisters after her failed adoption. The nuns at St. Agnes were not nearly as kind or caring as the ones at her old orphanage had been. The head mistress was nice enough though, she reminded Kelly of Sister Mary Fitzpatrick from her old place. She was always busy though and the children saw much more of the less friendly nuns. It seemed like Kelly was getting the switch for something different every day. She didn't mind too much though. It was almost preferable to the strained and awkward final months with the McMillan's.

"Kelly Garrett!"

Kelly's head snapped up at the sound of the teacher's harsh reprimand. She moaned in dread as the nun stood up and stormed over to her. She snatched Kelly's nearly empty sheet of paper off her desk.

"We've been working for half an hour and this is all you've managed to complete?" she shoved the paper to Kelly's face as if she needed help seeing it. "I guess you don't learn your lesson, do you?" Sister Francis demanded looking at Kelly as if she was a criminal.

Kelly squirmed uncomfortably in her seat. "I -" she began to explain but was interrupted.

"Up!" the nun said sharply. Kelly looked around in embarrassment feeling her face flush. All of the children in her class were staring at her. Barbara had a pained expression on her face.

Angry that she hadn't immediately complied, the old nun slapped the top of Kelly's desk making the girl jump, and repeated in a louder and more menacing tone. "I said, get up!"

Kelly sighed and rose from her seat. She knew exactly what was coming and quickly resigned herself to her fate. The nun grabbed her arm and roughly led her to the side of her desk. She yanked open a drawer and fished around for a second before pulling out a thin switch.

Kelly stuck out her hands without being told and gritted her teeth in anticipation. The switch whistled through the air and landed flat on the tops of Kelly's hands with a crack. Kelly gasped and closed her eyes, her features twisted in a grimace of pain. The sister repeated the action four more times and then slammed the switch down on her desk.

"Get to work, you have fifteen more minutes and you had better finish." The nun threatened, pointing a chubby finger in Kelly's face.

Kelly bit her lip and attempted to shake the pain out of her hands. She hurriedly went back to her seat and began writing as fast as she could. Her face was hot and she knew that it must as bright red as her hands were. She kept her gaze on her paper, not wanting to make eye contact with anyone else in the classroom, especially Barbara.

The lunch bell rang fifteen minutes later, and Kelly looked up in dismay. She hadn't finished her assignment yet. She looked at her teacher, who shook her head disapprovingly.

"You stay there and finish." she told her as the other students filed out of the door placing their papers on her desk.

Kelly sighed and continued working. She wasn't that hungry anyway.

After school she met Barbara in the hallway and they walked to their dormitory together to put away their school books and wash up for dinner. The two hadn't been able to speak at all during the school day. Kelly had been sent to the corner to finish her work and the other students had been forbidden to talk to her. Barbara grabbed Kelly's right hand and examined it critically as they walked.

"Jeez, Kelly, you better do your work or you're going to have to learn to write with your feet." she said in a joking manner, though she looked concerned.

Kelly pulled her hand away. "Yeah, I know. It's just so boring in there. All we do is read and write."

Barbara laughed. "All we do is read and write. You just sit there and stare out the window."

Kelly giggled and shoved her friend playfully. They caught up on their daily chatter as they made their way towards their dorm.

"What can we do to Sister Maria today," Kelly wondered out loud. The girls had been merciful for the past few days, and it was high time they had more fun. Their pranks were light hearted and harmless usually. The previous week, Kelly had switched around the drawers in the nuns dresser. Both girls had watched giggling as the unsuspecting nun had opened her top drawer looking for her rosary and had found herself staring at her undergarments.

Barbara pondered this as she opened the door of their dormitory and the girls walked inside. To their surprise, all the girls in their room were gathered in a crowd. The headmistress, Sister Anne, was speaking to the group, her hand on the shoulder of another woman in a gray smock. Kelly and Barbara looked at each other and filed into the group to hear the rest of whatever announcement was going on.

"Sister Maria was called away this morning. I can't tell you why, but I'm afraid she won't be coming back. She sends her love to all of you and wishes you the best of luck." Sister Anne paused momentarily, smiling as she noticed Kelly and Barbara push themselves into the crowd. Sister Anne was probably the kindest nun in the orphanage. She had welcomed Kelly warmly and was often seen mingling with the students while they ate their meals.

"Mrs. Beemish will be your new matron. You are to obey her and show her just as much respect as you did to Sister Maria." Her gaze lingered on the two newcomers for moment and then she went on. "I expect each of you to take some time today and introduce yourselves properly." She clapped her hands together cheerfully. "Well, girls, I am going to prepare for evening mass. I will see you all at dinner." She smiled at Mrs. Beemish and exited the room.

Fifteen pairs of eyes stared at the newcomer with interest. She was a bit shorter than Sister Maria had been, with short stringy black hair and a permanent scowl etched on he face. She certainly didn't look friendly. Kelly and Barbara shared a look.

Mrs. Beemish cleared her throat and looked around the dormitory with a look of displeasure. She spoke as she paced back and forth in front of the group of girls.

"My name is Antonia Beemish. You will call me Beemish." she said by way of greeting. "This room is filthy. I don't know how Sister Maria was able to stand it, but I cannot." she stopped and glared at Kelly and Barbara who stood a little closer than everyone else. Both girls gulped and took a step backwards. "There are two hours before dinner and none of you will attend unless this room is spotless. Now get to it."

The girls stood dumbly staring at the demanding woman with eyes wide. Nobody moved.

Beemish stomped her foot and repeated herself more forcefully. "Get to it!"

The girls snapped out of their shocked stupor and scattered in different directions scurrying to obey their new matron.

Kelly looked up at Barbara as she made her bed. She had already made it that morning, but she wisely decided that she had better look busy. Barbara was busily shoving in clothes that were sticking out from the small dressers underneath her bed. She finally looked up and caught Kelly's eye. The girls shared a knowing look before returning to their chores.

This new matron was not to be trifled with.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

December 15, 1960

Kelly lay trembling in her bunk, Lillibet tucked in the crook of her arm. The room was dark and silent. She looked over and in moonlight, noticed Barbara was still awake and gave her a weak smile. She didn't dare speak though. Nobody did. It had been a little over two months since Beemish had taken over Sister Maria's duties and she proved to be a cruel and overpowering disciplinarian. Every morning and night she had the girls line up by their beds while she inspected the neatness of their uniforms and the tidiness of their bunk area. If her critical eye spotted imperfection, the offender was brutally punished. Last week Kelly had her legs hit with the switch for her socks not being even with each other. The girls knew they were being treated cruelly, but no one dared report her actions for fear of Beemish retaliating. The cruel matron had a way of keeping them under her thumb. She insulted her charges frequently, and reminded them very often of why she thought they were in an orphanage instead of with their parents or in a foster home with people who loved them.

Kelly curled her knees up to her chest and hugged Lillibet closely. She had no blanket. It had been taken away the night before for her bed not being made properly at yesterday morning's inspection. Barbara shot her a look of pity. It was snowing outside. The dormitory was cold and she knew Kelly must be freezing. She had been unable to fall asleep as she watched her friend shivering. She had an idea. She coughed a few times trying to get Kelly's attention. Kelly opened her eyes and looked at her. Silently, Barbara lifted the sheets off of herself and motioned to her friend. Kelly stared at her blankly. Was she trying to get them both beaten? Beemish had caught a girl out of bed in the middle of the night a few weeks ago. The poor girl had been tied to her bed for three nights afterwards. No one dared to repeat her offense.

Annoyed at Kelly's indecision, Barbara motioned again and silently mouthed "Come on!". Kelly thought for a moment. She was cold and another night of shivering and using Lillibet as a pathetic excuse for a blanket did not appeal to her. Her mind made up, she nodded at her friend and without a sound, slipped out of her bed, crossed the short distance to Barbara's and climbed in.

"Thanks." she whispered gratefully as she snuggled next to her friend, the sensation of warmth feeling wonderful to her numb arms and legs.

Barbara grinned at her. "We'll have to make sure Beemish doesn't catch us, or we're in big trouble."

Kelly sighed, still relishing in the warmth her friend's bed provided. "Don't worry she won't, I always wake up before she does, and if she catches us, I'll say I snuck in while you were asleep."

Barbara made a face. "Don't do that. You'll get into so much trouble."

"So what? I'm always in trouble." Kelly whispered with a dismissive wave of her hand.

The two little girls snuggled together, closed their eyes and fell asleep.

The gray light of early morning shone through the windows of the girl's dormitory. Kelly's eyes flew open, somehow knowing from the moment she awoke that she was in trouble. With a feeling of dread churning her stomach, she turned quickly and found herself face to face with Beemish. Her eyes widened in terror and she lay there, willing her body to move, but being unable to.

Beemish easily solved Kelly's dilemma by grabbing a fistful of her hair and yanking her roughly out of the bed. Kelly yelped in pain and struggled to get her feet under her as Beemish flung her against her own bed. Kelly hit the bed hard against the small of her back, sliding it several inches back with a metallic scraping noise. She struggled to get her balance and looked to Beemish fearfully, her hands held up instinctively to protect her face.

Beemish glared at the little girl. "You don't think you have to follow rules?" she seethed in a harsh whisper.

Panting, her heart feeling like it was about to burst out of her chest, Kelly's eyes darted frantically around the room looking for help and not finding it. A few of the girls nearby had been jarred from their sleep by the scuffle and they lay in bed watching with wide eyes, yet not daring to interfere. Beemish whipped out her thick switch from her apron pocket. Kelly flinched and waited for the blows to come. She was surprised when Beemish whirled around and began viciously swatting Barbara, who up until then had still been asleep. The redheaded girl awoke with a cry of surprise and pain. Bewildered, she scooted up to the metal headboard and tried her best to protect her body with the thin blanket while Kelly watched blankly in open mouthed horror.

She had to stop this.

"No!" Kelly protested finally willing her body to act. She threw her body in between Beemish and Barbara. "Beemish, please!"

Beemish shoved her roughly aside. By this time nearly every girl in the dormitory was awake and watching the scene unfold in terror. As a final act of desperation, Kelly reached up and grabbed Beemish's hitting arm in both hands. This stopped Beemish abruptly. The matron looked down in outraged disbelief at this little girl who had dared to put her hands on her. Kelly swallowed hard. She quickly pulled her hands away from Beemish to rest at her sides. She looked at the enraged matron nervously, then chanced a glance at Barbara, who was whimpering in her bed, the sheet pulled up to her chin and tears running down her face.

She turned back to Beemish just in time to see the matron's hand flying at her. She backhanded Kelly hard across the face. Kelly's head rocked to the side and she stumbled backwards against Barbaras bed. She steadied herself using the bed's headboard and looked at the matron in stunned silence, one hand against her injured cheek.

"Don't you ever touch me again, you little brat." she hissed as she leaned her face closer to Kelly's.

Kelly nodded frantically, her hand still pressed against her cheek, her right eye watering uncontrollably.

"You two report to me after dinner tonight." Beemish whispered fiercely gesturing to Kelly and Barbara. She was in no mood to deal with these trouble makers with all these witnesses. Her shoulders were still heaving in barely suppressed rage.

Kelly took a chance.

"Please, it wasn't her fault. I waited till she fell asleep and I snuck into her bed. I know it was wrong, but I was so cold." she pleaded pathetically, halfway expecting Beemish to hit her again.

Beemish sneered down at her. That sounded even better, she had a score to settle with this little girl.

"Fine, then you report to me after dinner." she agreed, suddenly appearing to be calm and in control of herself again. "And, we'll just have to make sure that you stay in your bed at night."

She straightened and shouted out, "Wake up, brats, I want everyone ready for morning inspection in twenty minutes!" She turned on her heels and walked out. The wake up call was totally unnecessary. Everyone was already awake.

Kelly heaved a sigh of relief at Beemish's departure. She looked around uneasily. Everyone had been staring at her and at her sudden acknowledgement of them, they had abruptly gone back to their business. Kelly flushed and turned towards Barbara, an apology ready on her lips.

Barbara cut her off before she could begin. "Kelly!" she whispered loudly throwing her arms around her friend, "Are you alright?"

Still stunned, Kelly barely returned the hug. "I'm ok, are you?"

Barbara nodded. "I was more scared than hurt." she admitted.

"I'm really sorry I got you in trouble, I thought I would wake up before she did." she apologized her voice breaking. Kelly felt horrible.

Barbara shook her head. "It's ok, Kelly, come on, let's get dressed before she gets back." she paused looking at her friend again. "Are you sure you're ok?"

Kelly didn't answer. Barbara stared at the stinging red mark on her friend's face and frowned, her own face darkened by a scowl. "I hate Beemish." she said vehemently. Kelly looked back up at her and gave her a reassuring smile.

"I'm ok." she finally said. She hopped off of Barbara's bed and pulled her school uniform out of her drawer. "Let's get dressed."

"What's going to happen to you after dinner?" Barbara asked, fear and concern in her eyes. "Oh, Kelly, you shouldn't have said that it was all your fault. It was my idea." she said miserably. "What do you think's gonna happen?"

Kelly shuddered. She had no clue.

The school day passed all too quickly. Kelly sat with Barbara in the cafeteria that evening, nervously picking at their dinners, both thinking the same thing but unwilling to say it out loud. Feeling like she was being watched, Kelly looked up to see two older girls not even from her dormitory whispering to each other as they walked past her. She sighed and turned back to her food. People had been whispering all day. She was pretty sure the whole school knew by now that Beemish was probably going to kill her after dinner tonight. Well, everyone but the other nuns. There was no way any of the girls from her dorm would tell another adult. The fear of Beemish's revenge was too great. Unable to eat, she pushed her plate away and laid her head down on the table miserably. She felt like throwing up. They had been sitting in the cafeteria for about half an hour longer than usual now. Most of the children had already eaten and gone back to their dormitory to enjoy some free time before evening mass.

Kelly lifted her head up from the table. She couldn't take it anymore.

"I think I should go see Beemish now." she said, her face devoid of emotion.

Barbara looked up at her. "But you haven't finished your dinner!" she protested trying to stall.

"I'm not hungry." Kelly responded as she picked up her tray and stood.

Barbara hurried over to walk by her friend's side as they put away their trays away. Together they walked back towards the dormitory, neither girl speaking as they were lost in their own worried thoughts.

Kelly opened the door slowly and peeked in. It was empty. None of the girls wanted to watch a murder after dinner, she decided. Beemish was no where to be found either. The girls nervously made their way to Kelly's bed and sat down. Kelly picked up Lillibet and hugged her to her chest. The two friends waited in tense silence.

Suddenly, the door opened revealing Beemish's scowling face. She said nothing, just crooked her finger in a beckoning gesture towards Kelly. The girl's face blanched and she swallowed before looking at Barbara. Barbara looked like she wanted to cry, but she said nothing as Kelly slid off of the bed and walked, head lowered, towards Beemish. Beemish grabbed Kelly by her upper arm and walked briskly down the hallway, neither speaking. They walked that way for a few minutes down the hallway, past the cafeteria doors, past the front offices and into a hallway Kelly had never been in before. The little girl struggled to keep up with the woman's longer strides. She felt the terror building up inside her. She wished Beemish would say something, yell at her, hit her, anything was better than the silence. She suddenly noticed a weight in her left arm. She looked down, surprised to see Lillibet still in her possession. In her nervousness, she hadn't realized that she had brought her along. She took small comfort in the beat up old dolls company. She was suddenly jerked to a halt. Beemish fumbled with a key, opened the door that they had stopped in front of and pushed the little girl inside. Kelly looked up. They were in a small room. A wooden stepladder leaned against one of the walls. Empty shelves lined the room and boxes full of what Kelly figured were books were stacked all over. There must have been over twenty boxes she estimated after a quickly glance around the room. Kelly looked back up at Beemish, a guarded and puzzled look on her face.

Beemish glared down at her.

"I want every single book in this room sorted alphabetically. Start here," she indicated the rows of shelves on the back wall, " and end there." She pointed to another row. "I'll be back after mass. You better be finished, when I return."

With that Beemish exited the room, closing the door behind her. Kelly heard the lock click into place. She turned and looked around the little room again. It would take her a very long time to finish, but this was certainly better than what she thought was going to happen. She had expected to be trampled to death under Beemish's feet. She smiled to herself and gave a sigh of relief. Feeling better for the first time all day, Kelly set Lillibet down on the floor and emptied a box of books.

Two and a half hours later, Kelly was in a foul mood. She was only in the first grade and her limited education made alphabetizing books quite a difficult task. It didn't help that the books in each box were in random order. She had had to empty every single box first and then hunt for all of the books starting with A. She was on the D's now. The little girl had no clue that books were usually arranged by the name of the author and not the title. The top two rows of the first shelf had slowly been filled. Kelly decided to take a quick break and wiped the dust off of her hands. It was cold and drafty in the room. She shivered and stood up, stretching her cramped muscles. She was sure she had been locked in here for hours. There was no clock in the room to confirm this however. Kelly sighed, she was tired and thirsty and her back hurt from leaning over so much. She actually found herself hoping Beemish would return soon so she could stop. The little girl looked around the room again. Her child's curiosity led her to a little door towards the back of the room. She opened it and looked inside. Just an empty closet. Nothing of interest. She closed the door and scanned the room for something else to look at. Finding nothing, she went back to work.

An hour later, Kelly was busily sorting the G's when she heard a key being stuck into the door. She stood quickly wiping her dirty hands on the front of her smock. Beemish entered and closed the door behind her. She looked at the room, taking in the empty boxes and stacks of books. Her gaze rested on the one nearly full shelf. She scowled at the little girl.

"You didn't finish?" she asked disdainfully.

Kelly lowered her head, the matron successful in making her feel like a failure for not completing the impossible task.

"That's ok," she said with false pleasantness. "We have all day tomorrow don't we?"

Kelly's heart sank. Tomorrow was Saturday. Besides morning and evening mass, the children had the day off. She nodded her head anyway.

"Good." Beemish said. She opened the door. Kelly picked up Lillibet and started walking toward her, more than ready to get to bed. Beemish held up a hand and Kelly stopped in her tracks. "Where are you going?" she said with a false smile.

Kelly didn't like that mock pleasant tone one bit.

"You're not leaving until you're finished, little girl." She flashed a cruel smile.

"But-" Kelly began in protest.

"But, what? I said you weren't leaving until you finished." she gestured towards the boxes. "You're not finished, are you?"

"That's not fair." Kelly started. She was so tired.

"Who are you going to cry to," she said making a mock sympathetic face "Your parents?"

Apparently this was amusing because Beemish laughed. Kelly chanced another step forward, refusing to believe that she would really be left here all night. That did it.

Beemish flew at her in a rage

"I said you aren't leaving here until you've finished!" she screamed. She grabbed Kelly by the arms and forcibly pushed her back. Frightened, Kelly cried out and tried to struggle against the matron's grasp. This only served to further enrage Beemish. She shoved Kelly hard, sending the girl stumbling backwards. The backs of her knees hit a stack of books and losing her balance, she toppled over them. Beemish rushed over and yanked her to her feet by the arm and dragging her towards the closet, she threw open the door. Kelly realized with horror what was about to happen and planted her heels firmly in the ground.

"No, Beemish, please don't" she pleaded quickly, tears running down her face. "I'll be good I promise! I promise I'll be good! Beemish, please don't lock me in there!" She was almost hysterical. Beemish was much stronger than the seven year old and jerked her arm hard, flinging her into the closet.

Kelly bounced back and grabbed the door frame with one hand in an frantic attempt to keep the door open. The other hand clutched Lillibet. "Please don't, Beemish, please!" she begged hysterically.

The matron ignored her and slammed the door, nearly taking off the little girl's fingers. Kelly jerked them away just in time. Inside the dark closet, Kelly sobbed and clung to Lillibet. A few moments later, the door opened again. Beemish seemed to have thought of a way to improve her torture. She reached in and grabbed for Kelly's doll.

Kelly jerked away trying desperately to cover her doll with her body "No! Please let me have Lillibet for company, please Beemish! Don't take her away!" she sobbed in a panicky voice, shaking her head violently.

With a final tug, Beemish wrenched the doll from the little girl's grasp and shoved her back into the closet. The door slammed again. Kelly let out a terrified wail. Her young mind assumed she would be left to rot in the dark closet. She threw herself against the door in blind panic, banging on it, shrieking for help. The door flew open again. Kelly looked up to receive yet another flying backhand, this one harder than the one before. She fell backwards landing hard on her elbows.

"Shut. Up." Beemish hissed at her. She raised her hand again and Kelly flinched and threw her arms over her face. Beemish, quite pleased with herself, smiled and closed the door a final time, leaving the girl cowering on the closet floor.

Kelly lay panting and whimpering, her head reeling from the blow. The thin sliver of light that had been coming in from the gap between the floor and the bottom of the door suddenly disappeared. She heard the door to the book room being closed and locked. The little girl lowered her arms from her face and listened. It was so dark and the only sound she could hear was her own ragged breathing. Kelly sat up. Her lower lip stung and she tasted blood. She wiped at her mouth with the back of her hand and gathered her knees to her chest. Silent tears ran down her cheeks as she rocked herself back and forth trembling in fear. It was so cold and dark. No one would ever find her in here.

Barbara lay awake in her bunk and for what seemed the millionth time she looked over at Kelly's bed hoping that somehow her friend had snuck back in the room while she wasn't looking. She had never been so scared in her life. Why did I let Kelly take all of the blame?, she thought miserably. She should have demanded to go with her, at least that way she wouldn't have been alone wherever she was. She was a terrible friend. She swallowed the lump in her throat. Beemish had returned hours ago, but where was Kelly? She turned her head and closed her eyes, burying her face in her pillow as much as she could. Beemish had tied her to her bed, her little arms and legs strapped tightly to the headboard and footboard, so she couldn't move much. Her discomfort at being strapped down, however, was no where near as bad as the creeping sense of dread she was getting by Kelly's continued absence. After a moment, she lifted her head slightly and looked hopefully at Kelly's bed. She frowned in dismay. It was still empty.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

November 30th, 1964

Kelly jogged down the hallway and skidded to a stop in front of her fifth grade classroom. Ten minutes late. She peeked inside, hoping the class would be doing something loud and busy, enabling her to slip in unnoticed. No such luck. They were all reading silently. Cursing to herself, she opened the door and cautiously stepped inside. Her seat was very close to the door and it was possible she could make it undetected if she was very quiet.

She slipped silently through the door and closed it without a sound. The teacher was nowhere in sight. Kelly felt relieved.

"You're late, Ms. Garrett." a voice said inches from her ear.

She spun around. Her teacher, Sister Mary Katherine had been standing right by the door sharpening a pencil.

Kelly closed her eyes for a moment, completely in awe at her pathetic lack of good fortune.

"I'm sorry, Sister Mary Katherine. I was praying and I completely lost track of time." she deadpanned.

The class snickered.

The nun frowned at her. "Are you being facetious Ms. Garrett?"

"No, sister, just late." Kelly grinned at the old nun and took her seat.

She was hardly recognizable from the little girl she had been upon arriving at the orphanage four years ago. Nearly eleven years old now, she had grown several inches and was quite tall and lanky for her age. Her wavy brown hair was pulled back into a neat ponytail. Her young face had begun to lose the baby softness of childhood and take on the more mature look of a teenager. It was obvious to anyone who met her that she would soon be a beautiful young woman. Though she was physically different from the six year old she had been, it was her change in manner that had undergone the most transformation. She seemed hardened somehow, her expression set in a constant look of defiance, daring anyone to cross her. She cut up in class daily, and while the students found her witty sarcasm amusing during the school day, Kelly saw no reason to socialize with them outside of class.

She flipped through her history textbook, looking for the pages they were supposed to be reading to themselves. She craned her neck to look at the girl sitting across the aisle from her. The girl shot her a look of annoyance and turned her book away. Kelly threw her hands up in frustration and muttered to herself.

She turned to the girl sitting behind her. "What page are we on?" she asked her.

The girl looked up at her then back down to her book. "Page 137." she whispered back.

Kelly thanked her. It pays to be direct, she thought to herself. She flipped her book open to the correct page and settled herself in her desk to begin reading. She frowned. Could the print be any tinier than it was? How long was this chapter? She thumbed forward a few pages and was dismayed to find that the chapter went on much longer than she thought necessary. With a sigh of defeat, she flipped back to the first page and began to read.

Kelly's grades had taken a drastic decline in her four years at St. Agnes. While school had never seemed to interest her, she had at least done what she was told her first two years. Since the fourth grade, it seemed that she had stopped caring completely.

There was a reason of course, not that the nuns or even Kelly herself was aware of it. Beemish still presided over Kelly's dormitory. Kelly was one of the few girls left that had been there since the day the cruel matron had arrived, and four years of suffering physical and mental abuse had taken its toll on the girl. She had spent several more nights alone in the closet after that first incident when she had been seven. For some reason, every time was more terrifying than the last.

The first time had been traumatizing enough. She hadn't told anyone about it, not even Barbara. Beemish had come back early that next morning to let her out. She had opened the door and walked off without a word, leaving Kelly to spend the entire day completing the task she had begun the night before. Barbara had questioned her about it after their happy reunion at dinner that evening, but Kelly had refused to talk and when she started getting hostile, her concerned friend had backed off. The two friends had been tied to their beds every night for the remainder of the week as punishment for Kelly breaking the rules and being out of bed. A few days later, Barbara had surprised Kelly with Lillibet. Kelly, thinking her old security blanket had been lost forever, had shed tears of joy and thanked her friend profusely. Barbara had found Lillibet in one of the trash cans outside while taking a walk, she had told her. She had never again asked Kelly about that night.

Nearly a year ago to the day, Barbara had been adopted by a nice couple who, she told Kelly with a giggle before she left, already had a handsome grown son. Kelly wondered sadly if Barbara's handsome brother was in Vietnam now. The past year had been a whirlwind for everyone with the turbulent 1960's in full swing. Thinking about her friend's departure, Kelly felt a pang of sadness. President Kennedy had been assassinated downtown that same day that Barbara left. They had been rushed to the chapel in numb shock for an unscheduled mass to pray for the state of the country and she hadn't gotten a chance to say goodbye to her friend. Kelly felt more alone than ever.

Not having Barbara had made dealing with Beemish quite a bit harder. It had taken awhile, but the two girls had finally figured out that Beemish fed on fear. If she knew you were scared of her, she knew she could hurt you. With her friend gone, Kelly found it harder to remain strong. Realizing Kelly's sadness at losing her friend, Beemish had made her a special target and had been relentless with her insults and beatings. Her twisted cruelty knew no limits it seemed, and she subjected Kelly and her dorm mates to unspeakable horrors.

Kelly caught the flu a few weeks after Barbara had gone. Beemish had delighted in making the sick girl do much more than her necessary share of chores and keeping her from meals. When after a few days, Kelly had been too sick to get out of bed, Beemish had beaten her mercilessly with a belt over her back and legs until she forced her weak body to get up. The poor girl had passed out on her way to class and had to spend the night in the nurse's wing. If the nurse had seen her welts and bruises, she never reported them.

When Kelly started feeding a kitten outside of the campus grounds two winters ago, the little animal had lingered and Kelly had taken great pleasure in going outside and playing with it everyday. She grew to love the kitten, whom she named Bobo. When Beemish found out after a few months, she set out poison for the little cat. Kelly had found it dead the next day. Beemish made the devastated little girl put Bobo in a sack and throw him away with the garbage, telling her if she hadn't been feeding him, he wouldn't have had to die. It seemed Beemish was constantly thinking of ways to torture and humiliate her charges. Kelly had been through one hellish experience after another.

She had survived though, and as she grew older, she had learned to hide her fear and put on a tough exterior. It made her seem less frightened and helpless and with that, less likely to be targeted by Beemish. Kelly's newfound defiance had kept her and her bunkmates relatively bruise free for the past year. Kelly took a special interest in the younger girls, taking it upon herself to protect them. She painstakingly went over the little girls a few minutes before morning and night inspection to ensure that they wouldn't be found lacking and punished by Beemish.

Kelly leaned back and stretched in her seat. She had read a few pages and thought she deserved a break. She let her mind wander. Tomorrow was her birthday and she would be eleven. Not that anyone knew or cared though, she thought to herself. Next year would be her last year in the primary school at the orphanage and she was excited about getting to leave the grounds everyday for junior high. Little did she know, she would be leaving the grounds permanently very soon. She didn't know it, but today was her last day at St. Agnes Orphanage.

Today was everyone's last day at St. Agnes Orphanage.

That night after inspection, Kelly climbed wearily into her bed. It had been a long day and she hadn't slept well the night before. She pulled her blanket to her shoulders and waited until Beemish had turned the light off. Once it was dark, she leaned over and quietly pulled open her dresser drawer. She pulled Lillibet out and held her close. Lillibet spend most of her time hiding in the drawer these days due to Kelly's fear that Beemish would see her and take her away for good.

Plus, she didn't want the other girls thinking she was a baby. Lillibet settled comfortably in the crook of her arm, Kelly closed her eyes and drifted off.

She was jolted out of a deep sleep a few hours later. Someone was shaking her roughly. She opened her eyes wide as she abruptly awakened, surprised to find herself in a sitting position. She heard screams and loud echoing footsteps coming from all different directions. Startled, disoriented, and believing she was being choked, she cried out and swung blindly at her attacker.

"Get up, you idiot, the building's on fire!" a blonde girl from her class yelled in her face. "Hurry up, Kelly!" Her job done the girl gave her a final shake and bolted towards the door.

Kelly looked around in shock. There were girls running around screaming, pushing, and knocking each other over in a mad rush to get to the only exit. The acrid smell of smoke and burning wood and plaster assaulted her senses. She snapped out of her daze and jumped out of bed, Lillibet in tow. She quickly pulled on her shoes and joined the rush to the door. She could hardly stand the screaming. Fleeing children slammed into her and she tried her best to dodge them as she hurried her way through the crowd. Coughing, she glanced at the door and wondered why so many girls were smashed against the door instead of going through it. She quickly figured it out. The door was built to open outward, and only a few girls had managed to get out before the doorway had been mobbed. The girls pushed up against the door were yelling, slapping and pushing everyone behind them, trying to get them to back away far enough so that they could get the door open. The girls behind them, unaware, were scrambling desperately against them in a frenzied panic to get out.

"Move back!", Kelly shouted above the panicked screams of the crowd. She threw herself into the crowd and started pushing. It was no use, she found herself wedged between two other girls. She shoved backwards with all her might and the girl in front of her toppled backwards, a surprised look on her face, taking several other girls with her in a domino effect.

"You have to move back! Move back!," she screamed again. "Get out of the way!" She flung herself back into the crowd, pushing and shoving everyone in her reach. A few of the older girls came to her aid as they realized what was going on and together they managed to force the panicked mob back far enough to swing the door open.

Free from the burning dormitory, the frightened group clambered down the hallway, into the big hall and towards the main exit. Groups of scared looking girls filed quickly into the main hallway from different parts of the building lead by the shouted orders of the sisters in charge of their dorm. Kelly suddenly realized that Beemish was nowhere to be found. She didn't dwell on it too long, though. The exit in sight, the occupants of the orphanage streamed out into the cold night and huddled a safe distance away watching the building burn.

Gasping in the fresh air gratefully, Kelly's eyes darted around at the people surrounding her. The sisters were busily counting heads and snapping at the girls not to move as they made sure their charges were all accounted for. Girls were coughing and gasping for air just like she was, some crying and hugging, and others looking towards the building in shocked silence. Beemish not around to perform her duties, Kelly quickly began counting heads.

"My sister! Where's my sister?", a little girl from Kelly's dorm wailed.

Kelly looked down at her. She recognized the five year old little girl and knew her sister's face. She jogged around scanning the crowd looking for any sign of her and not finding it. Everyone else in her room had been accounted for. Worried, she sprinted back to the crying girl and dropping to her knees, slid to a stop in front of her.

She grabbed the little girl by the shoulders.

"Listen to me, Melissa." she began struggling to catch her breath. "Did she leave with us? Did you see her leave with everyone else?"

"Where's my sister!?" Melissa wailed again.

Exasperated, she shook her and asked again. "Did she leave with us?" she repeated urgently, her voice shakier than it had been before.

"She was in the bathroom." Melissa said tearfully and began to cry loudly.

Kelly's stomach dropped. Christ, the kid was still inside. She probably hadn't left the bathroom because she was scared, she realized with dread.

She released little Melissa and darted over to the first nun she could find, pushing anyone who got in her way.

"Sister Anne!" Kelly began breathlessly grabbing the nun by her sleeve. "There's still someone inside! She's still inside!"

Apparently, her words hadn't been intelligible because the nun looked at her in confusion.

"Kelly, calm down, are you hurt?" Sister Anne asked in concern, touching Kelly's face.

Kelly pulled back in frustration. "No, no, no!" she shouted desperately. "There's still someone inside!" She gestured wildly to the burning building.

She had been understood that time.

Sister Anne's jaw dropped and she grasped Kelly's shoulders firmly "Who?" she choked out. "Who's still in there? How do you know? Kelly? Kelly!"

Kelly had decided that the nun wasn't acting fast enough. She had pulled away and was headed back to the building at a dead run.

"Kelly, no! Come back! Come back!" the nun shouted giving chase.

Kelly heard Sister Anne shouting her name but she ignored her and kept running. She was a fast runner and knew the old nun wouldn't be able to catch her. Her main concern was the little girl that was still inside. She sprinted to the main entrance, taking the stairs three at a time and suddenly was back in the building.

Kelly went into a coughing fit, she could hardly see anything there was so much smoke. She threw herself flat to the floor to avoid the smoke and quickly crawled toward her dormitory on her stomach, pulling herself along with her elbows and knees. The smoke wasn't as bad once she got in the hallway leading to their room, so she scrambled to her feet and ran the rest of the distance. Inside the dorm, it was different story.

Flames licked the walls and ceiling of the little dormitory and the roar of the blaze was almost deafening.

Kelly gagged and flopped back onto her stomach coughing violently, the smoke stinging her eyes and making them water. Sweat dripped down her face and neck making her hair and pajamas damp.

"Where are you?! she gasped loudly. The kid's name escaped her, but she figured there would be no confusion as to who she was calling. She began crawling towards the bathroom door, but as she neared it, she realized she could not get any closer. It was simply too hot to bear. She pulled her arm away with a yelp of pain and scooted back to a safe distance. She stared at the restroom door in utter defeat. It was too late, there was no way she could get in there, she thought feeling genuine anguish and regret for the lost little girl. She cursed herself angrily for failing her.

Suddenly, she saw something move out of the corner of her eye. Whipping her head around she noticed something moving in between two bunks. With a cry of joy, she crawled on her stomach, toward the beds as fast as she could.

The little girl was in the fetal position staring wide eyed at the blaze that was quickly eating up the far wall of their room. Pieces from the burning ceiling were starting to crumble off and crash to the floor. Kelly wasted no time in hurrying over, scooping her up and dashing for the exit. Thinking quickly, she snatched a blanket from one of the beds and covered the little girl with it as she ran, so she wouldn't breathe in the smoke. The little girl must have been in shock. She neither moved nor cried as Kelly stumbled down the hallway with her, bouncing against the walls, coughing and gagging through the thick black smoke.

She exited the little hallway and found herself back in the lobby. Kelly skidded to a stop. The main entrance had been blocked by falling debris. Fighting panic, she spun on her heels and headed towards one of the side doors. She was again forced to a sudden halt, as the heat seared her arms, legs, and face. She screamed in agony. The blazing heat prevented that course of action as well. She spun the little girl around in her arms away from the heat to keep her safe and backpedaled until she was a safe distance away.

Ignoring the pain and struggling to see through her stinging eyes, she spotted a window about six feet off the ground, on the opposite side of the entry area. She rushed toward it. As she neared the window, she dumped the little girl on the ground and her hands flew towards the latch, fumbling to get it open. It was locked.

And hot.

Kelly jerked her burned fingers away from the metal frame of the window and cursed loudly in frustration and pain. Terrified now, she looked around quickly for another way out. Flaming debris crashed to the floor a few feet from her,sending hot burning embers flying into her bare legs. She shrieked and jumped backwards, shielding her face. They had to get out of here. She couldn't find another exit, but she did see a chair against the wall, twenty feet away. An idea coming to her, Kelly dashed over to the chair, lifted it over her head and charged at the window at full speed. A few feet from her target, she threw the chair as hard as she could and was rewarded with the loud crash of shattering glass. Grateful her plan had worked, she grabbed the chair which was stuck in the window frame, yanked it down and pushed it against the wall underneath the window. She hurried back to the little girl, scooped her up again and planting one foot on the chair heaved them both up to a standing position.

The loud groan of the support beams giving way came from behind the two girls. They had to get out. Now. There wasn't much time left.

Standing on the chair, Kelly could see out the window. She sputtered and coughed trying to find her voice.

"Hey!" she screamed shrilly, her voice panicked and high. "Help! Over here!"

To her relief, help came in seconds. Several pairs of hands shot up towards the window. Kelly quickly brushed the broken glass off of the window sill and lifted the little girl towards the opening. She watched her get pulled outside to safety. The little one safe, Kelly grabbed the window ledge and pulled herself onto the sill. She gasped as a sharp searing pain shot up her left shoulder. Her head outside the window, she gratefully sucked in fresh air, feeling like she couldn't inhale fast enough to satisfy her aching lungs. Strong arms grabbed her and pulled her off the ledge and out of danger.

She collapsed on the grass outside, coughing and gagging, finding it difficult to breathe. Her lungs demanded more oxygen than she could provide them. Several hands grabbed at her pulling her to her feet and she let herself be whisked away from the building. It all felt so surreal. Kelly started to feel dizzy and noticed she couldn't keep her head up or stand on her own.

She heard shouting and sirens over the roar of the fire. A concerned face appeared in front of hers, but she couldn't make out who it was, her vision was too blurry. Still in the middle of a violent coughing fit, she realized she was being pushed back into a sitting position. Her chest felt tight. She was surrounded by people and someone was talking to her, but she couldn't understand them. She wondered if the little girl was ok. She certainly hoped so. Images and sounds began to blur together and spin out of control. She was so dizzy. It felt like there was a heavy weight on her chest. Someone slapped at her face. Kelly tried to respond but found she had no control over her body anymore. She closed her eyes in an attempt to stop the dizziness. Someone slapped her again. She opened her eyes. They were saying something to her, but she just couldn't understand. The spinning images gradually dimmed and grew darker as her vision began to fade. The last thing she felt was the sensation of being lifted off the ground before she slipped into unconsciousness.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Kelly opened her eyes. It was dark and quiet. She blinked a few times, letting her blurry vision focus and adjust to the darkness. When it finally did, she found herself laying on her back staring up at a strange room. What was she doing here? Confused, she tried to sit up. A sharp stab of pain shot through her left shoulder causing her to grit her teeth and lay back down, moaning softly. As she did, the events of the fire came rushing back to her in a jumbled heap. She started to panic. Where was she? What happened to the little girl?

Suddenly, a cool hand touched her forehead. Kelly yelped and jerked her head away, startled by the unexpected contact.

"Shhh, it's alright, child." a gentle voice soothed. "It's alright."

Kelly turned her head to see Sister Anne sitting next to her bed. She looked worried. Her eyes were red as if she had been crying and she looked as if she hadn't slept for some time. Kelly was immediately embarrassed by her reaction to the nun's touch.

The old nun smiled warmly and tentatively rested her hand on Kelly's forehead again. When she didn't protest, the nun gently smoothed her hair out of her face. The girl relaxed and closed her eyes for a moment.

"How are you feeling, Kelly?" she asked softly.

"Ok." Kelly started to say. Her voice refused to work though, and the only sound that came out of her mouth was a pitiful whimper. She opened her eyes again, feeling betrayed by her body.

"It's alright, just relax, don't talk." the nun said still running her hand soothingly over Kelly's hair. She stopped for a moment and reaching over to the nightstand, poured out a paper cup of water. She held it to Kelly's lips.

"Here," she said softly "This will make you feel better."

She tilted the cup and helped Kelly take in a few sips of the cool water. Kelly coughed after she swallowed, but her throat felt better.

"Thank you." the girl said, her voice working now but still hoarse. She lay back again, feeling too tired and drained to do anything else.

Sister Anne set the cup down on the nightstand and took Kelly's hand.

"That was a very foolish thing you did." she started. Kelly opened her eyes and gazed at the older woman. The nun went on. "Very foolish, but very brave."

She smiled and squeezed Kelly's hand.

"You saved that little girl's life, you know that, don't you?" she took a deep breath. "The firemen were just getting there when we pulled you two out of the window. If it hadn't been for you, there would have been no chance that-" her voice cracked and she broke off unable to say it. Quickly crossing herself, she wiped her eyes, then tilted her head back and let out a long shuddering sigh. Emotions under control, she smiled down at Kelly.

"You're an angel Kelly," she said warmly. "A hero."

Kelly looked away, feeling awkward at being gushed over. She cleared her throat and tried to ask the question that had been plaguing her since she had woken up.

"Is she ok?" she asked in a barely audible voice. Success.

"She's just fine, child." the nun answered. "Thanks to you. They brought her here along with you and checked her over. She breathed in a lot of smoke, and she had some burns and a few cuts from the broken glass. Nothing terribly serious. She'll be ready to go this evening. It's truly a miracle you weren't both killed."

Kelly relaxed, pleased that the kid was alright. Then she furrowed her brow. They brought her here along with you? Where was here?

As if reading her mind, Sister Anne cautiously provided an answer.

"You're in the hospital, Kelly."

The hospital?! Kelly opened her eyes wide. They were in a hospital?!

Sensing her alarm, Sister Anne stroked the girl's hair and patted her hand.

"Don't worry, you're alright, dear." she said quickly, smoothing Kelly's hair back. "You just inhaled a lot of smoke. You stopped breathing for a little while. We were all so worried."

Kelly looked down at the rest of her body. Everything hurt, but it seemed to be in one piece. No limbs missing, she noticed with relief. Her left arm was draped across her stomach. It was wrapped from elbow to wrist in white bandages. She flexed her fingers experimentally. It ached, but wasn't unbearable. She craned her neck to see her left shoulder, and grimaced in pain.

"You burned your arm." the nun said gesturing to the girl's bandaged arm. And then you stuck yourself on a shard of glass while you were climbing out of the window." she explained. "It's not that serious, but you'll be sore for a few days." She glossed over the wound while explaining it to Kelly, but when she had seen the girl pulled out from the window with a huge shard of glass sticking out of her shoulder and soaking her clothes in blood, she had nearly fainted. Then she had watched helplessly as the poor girl had to be resuscitated by the paramedics after she had stopped breathing and passed out. She had nearly suffocated to death. But Kelly had been through enough and what she didn't know couldn't hurt her.

At least after a few weeks it couldn't hurt her.

Kelly nodded slowly, accepting the explanation of her injuries.

"The doctor said you would be able to leave sometime tomorrow." Sister Anne went on. "There are plenty of people waiting to talk to you." she finished with a smile.

"How long have I been here?" Kelly asked.

"Since last night." the nun answered her. She looked down at her watch. "It's about three in the afternoon right now."

"Have you been here the whole time?" the girl asked again. She felt a little guilty.

Sister Anne looked at her fondly. "I've been between you and Patty's room. She's not doing bad, and her sister and Sister Margaret are in there with her, so I've spent most of the time here with you." Her eyes misted. "Besides, I didn't want you to wake up alone."

Kelly lowered her eyes. She was genuinely touched and didn't know how to respond.

"Oh." she settled on.

Poetic.

"Especially on your birthday." the nun continued with a smile.

Her birthday. Oh yeah.

"Happy birthday, Kelly" she said, still smiling. "I know it may not feel so happy now, but when you get out we all have something special waiting for you."

"Thank you." she responded awkwardly.

Kelly smiled at her, her face blushing. Then something occurred to her. Her and the other orphans had just lost their home.

"What's going to happen to us?" she asked looking up at the sister.

"I'm not sure, dear, we're all working on it. We'll find somewhere for all of you though, try not to worry." she said patting Kelly's cheek.

"But we wont be at St. Agnes anymore?" Kelly chanced, trying not to get her hopes up.

"No" the nun answered with a sigh. "Not for a long time anyway. It might take years to repair all of the damage."

It was all Kelly could do to not let out a whoop of joy.

"Oh!" Sister Anne exclaimed, suddenly remembering something. She bent down and picked up her bag, rummaging in it for a moment before pulling out Lillibet. "You left this outside."

Kelly's mouth hung open and she felt her cheeks turn bright red.

The old nun laughed.

"Don't be embarrassed, dear." she said placing Lillibet next to Kelly's good shoulder. "I slept with my doll until I was fifteen." She smiled at the girl, amused by her reaction.

Kelly grinned back at her, still mortified.

"Why don't you try to get some more rest." the sister said gently cupping Kelly's cheek in her hand. "You'll feel much better."

Kelly nodded her approval of the suggestion. She was exhausted. The nun leaned over and pulled Kelly's blanket up to the girl's shoulders and gave her a motherly kiss on the forehead. Kelly gave her a soft smile, then yawned and settled back into the pillow, her eyelids starting to droop.

"Goodnight, Kelly", Sister Anne whispered, gently stroking the girl's hair again as she watched her drift off. "You're a real hero to all of us"

Kelly opened her eyes. As long everyone thought she was a hero…

"Sister Anne?" she asked quietly, building up her nerve.

"Yes?"

"I have something to tell you." she started. She took a deep breath. "Its about Beemish."


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Carson City, Nevada

February 23, 1967

"Kelly, move! You're in the way!" the harried woman said pushing past the teen.

Kelly scooted backwards and tried to flatten herself against the wall as her foster mother scraped by with an armful of grocery sacks.

It had been over two years since the St. Agnes Orphanage had been destroyed in an electrical fire. Kelly hadn't seen Dallas since her eleventh birthday. Her and the other children had been whisked away before Kelly even had a chance to find out what happened to Beemish following her disturbing confession to Sister Anne. With nearly one hundred children displaced, the state of Texas had been dealt the highly inconvenient task of finding a place for the homeless orphans. Kelly was sure the usual background checks and research that went into placing a child were substantially relaxed in order to quickly find them homes. Immediately following the fire, several children, Kelly among them, were sent to an orphanage in nearby Forth Worth, Texas. The orphanage wasn't prepared to house so many new charges, so the children of St. Agnes found themselves scattered across the country over the next few months. Kelly had ended up in an orphanage in Oklahoma, where she had stayed nearly a year before reaching the twelve year age limit set by that certain campus. After that, it seemed she was in a different foster home in a different state every month. Kansas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas, Arizona, it was all starting to blur together for her. Kelly quickly realized that her chances of getting adopted were slim to none. She was twelve years old, nearly a teenager. Sane people didn't adopt moody teenagers, she reasoned, they wanted cute little babies. She had behaved herself well enough in her foster homes, mostly keeping to herself and trying to stay out of the way. Some families treated her better than others. None of them had made her feel too welcome, though. After bouncing in and out of seven different temporary foster homes for nearly six months, Kelly was moody, frustrated, and sick of the lack of stability in her life. Finally, she had been placed in a middle aged couple's home in Carson City, Nevada. She had been here for eight months already, longer than she had been in any other home. Now thirteen, she had the good fortune of moving in time to enroll in the seventh grade at the local junior high right before the new school year. That made life much easier.

For the first three and a half months, things were normal. Kelly didn't like the home she was living in, but she didn't dislike it either. While her foster parents were rude and neglectful most of the time, they rarely hit her and had the decency to leave her to her own devices. They barely spoke to her unless absolutely necessary. She had a feeling the government check had much more to do with her being there than her foster parents' love for children.

The past several months though, the pressures of having a kid seemed to be inconveniencing her foster parents more than usual, and the cruel insults and beatings, which had replaced the occasional slaps, were becoming more and more frequent. Life was miserable now. She felt like a burden and tried her best to stay out of their way. Which couldn't be avoided sometimes.

"Don't just stand there! I have a whole car full of things!" Kelly's foster mother snapped at her. Candace Hanover was a tall, thin, middle aged woman, with dyed blonde hair styled in an almost fashionable beehive hairdo. She was a bossy neat freak who nagged Kelly constantly about the state of her room, clothes, homework, and anything else she deemed imperfect. She was married to a big bear of a man. James Hanover was a tall, stocky, man who wore his shirts a size too tight and seemed to know everything about anything. Since he spent most of his time being chided by his waspy wife, he took great delight in imposing his superiority over Kelly. He bullied her mercilessly, constantly correcting or challenging anything she said, arguing with her just for the sake of seeing her back down. When that wasn't satisfying enough, slapping Kelly around seemed to bring him a greater sense of accomplishment and he did it with relish, when he thought she needed it.

"Hurry up, the milk is going to spoil!" Mrs. Hanover yelled at her.

Taking the hint, Kelly jogged outside to the navy blue Mustang that was parked in the drive. With an armful of groceries from the backseat, she walked back inside and set them down on the table. Her foster mother was sitting now, talking animatedly with her husband, her back towards Kelly. Realizing that the task of unloading the groceries had been left to her, Kelly walked back out for a second trip.

She made four more trips. As she stepped back into the kitchen with the last load of groceries in her arms, she caught her foot on the leg of a chair and tripped. As she stumbled forward, her free arm flailing wildly to regain her balance, the sack of groceries slipped out of her grasp and flew across the kitchen to the ground with a thud. Kelly followed immediately after, landing hard on one knee and falling forward, her open palms slapping the floor loudly. The chair crashed down beside her.

"Oww!" she hissed in pain, sitting up and rubbing her knee. She looked at the sack on the floor, hoping that nothing made of glass had been in there.

"Oh, Goddammit, Kelly!" she heard her foster father yell out at her. He picked himself up with a grunt from the chair he had been sitting in and closed the short distance between them. He bent over, yanked the dropped bag up off the floor and put it on the table.

"Sorry." Kelly muttered as she got to her feet.

"Sorry." he repeated back to her in a mocking imitation of her voice.

Kelly's face flushed in anger. She hated being made fun of. Shaking it off, she righted the chair she had tripped over. They all immediately noticed the obvious chip in the wood where the top of the chair had hit the floor. Kelly swallowed and looked at her foster parents fearfully. The couple turned to stare at each in exasperation.

"I'm sorr-" Kelly started.

"Shut up. Just- Just shut up." Mr. Hanover interrupted, running his hand over his face in frustration.

Kelly closed her mouth and gave her foster parents an apologetic look.

"I can't deal with her right now. I have a headache. I'm going to go lie down." Mrs. Hanover announced. Her foster mother got up and headed to her room, rolling her eyes in disgust at Kelly as she left, leaving her and Mr. Hanover alone in the kitchen. Feeling horrible, Kelly silently began to put the groceries away.

"Ugh!" her foster father suddenly cried out in disgust. Kelly turned to look and saw him pull his right hand out from a grocery sack covered in slime. He glared at her and wiped it off with a nearby dish towel.

"You broke the goddamn eggs!" he barked accusingly. "Shit, will you look at this mess!" He pulled out some cans and some meat wrapped in brown paper from the contaminated sack. All were covered in broken egg yolks.

Kelly looked at the mess in dismay, mentally cursing her clumsiness. As if breaking the chair wasn't bad enough.

"It's like every time I turn around you're messing something up. You stupid girl, how hard is it to carry a goddamn bag from the goddamn car and set it on the goddamn table. Christ, if they would have told me how fucking stupid you were, I would have let them keep you and their goddamn check. Completely useless." he ranted angrily as he emptied the contents of the bag Kelly had dropped.

He stopped what he was doing and looked up at her in disgust. "That's what you are, useless, aren't you?"

Kelly lowered her eyes.

"Aren't you?" he repeated, his tone more threatening.

She looked at the floor and gave her head a slight nod.

"Say it!" he demanded.

"Yes, sir." she answered softly.

"Yes, sir, what?"

"I'm useless."

Hanover nodded his head in satisfaction. "Damn right, you are. Useless and stupid."

"Useless and stupid." she agreed in a quiet voice.

His cutting insults tore away at Kelly one after another and she hung her head in shame. He played this sick game often with her. He enjoyed making her admit to any number of derogatory things from how useless she was to how ugly, and the more she said or wrote it the more she began to believe it. She sighed miserably and rubbed her temples with her left hand. Of course, of all the bags she could have dropped, it had to be the one with the eggs in it. I can't do anything right, she berated herself angrily.

"Look, Mr. Hanover, I'm really sorry, let me clean it up." she offered wearily. She moved to pull the ruined sack off the table with the intention of throwing it away.

He shoved her hand away and turned his back to her. "Just go to your room. I don't even want to look at you right now."

Kelly tried again. "Please, sir, I'm really sorry, I'll clean it up." She walked around him to the slimy mess on the table.

His hard slap to her face caught her off guard, and she cried out in pain and fright.

"Go away, I told you!" he shouted at her. Nothing made him more angry than this useless foster child wasting their money.

Kelly, eyes wide in shock, began to back away slowly. Apparently, she didn't obey fast enough for her foster father.

Moving faster than it seemed possible for his large frame, he grabbed her by the front of her shirt and violently shoved her backwards into the wall. The back of her head slammed into the wall and bounced off with the force of the sudden impact. She gave a frightened cry and shut her eyes tight, scrambling backwards in a desperate attempt to get away from him, her arms raised to shield her face. He used this against her by ramming his fist into her stomach. She doubled over with a strangled gasp of pain, and her face now left unprotected, Hanover took the opportunity to land another brutal slap. She yelped, the force of the blow rocking her head to the side and causing her to go sailing to the floor. She landed hard and skidded a few feet on the slick tile floor before curling herself into a ball, coughing and struggling for air, one hand cupping her now bloody nose, the other folded against her stomach.

Her foster father quickly cleaned up the mess on the table and regarded her with a sneer of contempt as he wiped his hands on a dish towel. After he was done, he balled up the towel and threw it at her.

"Go to your room." Hanover said coldly, stepping over her as he walked out of the kitchen.

Kelly lay still and waited until she heard his bedroom door close, then crawled to a kitchen chair and, propping her arm on the seat, used it to pull herself to a sitting position. Groaning, and with her arm still clutching her stomach, she leaned against the chair, rested her aching head on the seat, and gave herself a few minutes to recover. After catching her breath, she rose shakily to her feet, wincing as she stood straight. A few drops of blood fell and dotted the front of her shirt.

She stalked furiously to her room and slammed the door shut behind her. The girl sniffed and wiped angrily at the blood from her nose with her sleeve, doing little more than smearing it over her face. Tears of outrage and frustration stung at her eyes. She hated her life. She hated being picked on and slapped around. She hated packing her bags every few months to go live in a different city in a different state with a different family. She slammed her fist into the side of her dresser. The sharp cracking sound it made was extremely satisfying. She punched it again, and a third time, each time harder than before, the past two years of pent up aggression exploding from her as the hot, angry tears spilled down her cheeks. A shooting pain in her knuckles finally registered just before she hit it a fourth time. Kelly sucked in a breath and shook out her injured hand. She felt drained all of a sudden and sank down to the floor, all the fight gone out of her. She took a deep breath. Calm and in control once more, Kelly looked up at her dresser and saw several dents in the wood. She realized what she had done and felt ashamed of herself. Breaking things seemed to be the only thing she was good at. She gathered her knees to her chest and looked at her right hand. The knuckles were split and bleeding, the skin around them taking on a shade of bluish purple. She wrapped her hand in her shirt tail and leaned her head back against the wall. This was no way to live.

Late that night, while her foster parents slept, Kelly lay in her bed formulating a plan. She had to get out of here, there was no question about that. The problem was how she was going to do it. After several discarded ideas, she thought maybe she had worked it out. She walked the half mile to the junior high every morning, so she would have no obstacles in her path with cutting class tomorrow. The teachers would mark her absent and she wouldn't be missed until she didn't come home at four in the afternoon. That would give her plenty of time to get down to the train station, sneak aboard a car, and ride away to freedom. Just the thought of escaping made her giddy with anticipation. She went over her plan again and frowned. It wasn't a very good plan, she realized. She had no idea if she would be able to get aboard the train unnoticed and though she had a little money saved up from doing odd jobs around the neighborhood, she didn't have nearly enough to buy a train ticket. Once she was on the train, how would she know where to get off? Where would she get off? These thoughts danced around in her head, giving her a headache. Wincing, she gingerly touched the large bump on the back of her head, hoping to alleviate the pain. Finally, she decided that anywhere that train would take her was better than here. That taken care of, the only thing standing in her way was actually getting on board the train. She decided to take a chance on that. Feeling determined, she kicked off her blankets, climbed out of bed and quietly packed all of her personal belongings in the dim moonlight of her bedroom.

She didn't sleep that night. She was too filled with nervous energy to sleep. Impatiently, Kelly lay in bed waiting for morning to come. Her bags were packed and hidden safely in her closet. She didn't have much. A knapsack and a large duffel bag held all of her personal belongings. At the first signs of dawn, Kelly sprang into action. Her bedroom window looked out onto the side of the house. She retrieved her bags from the closet, silently slid open the window and dropped them outside. She didn't want to be seen leaving the house with them for fear she would be questioned. She dressed quickly in a pair of faded denim jeans and a dark long sleeved shirt. It had been snowing outside so she pulled on her only hooded sweatshirt and made her way to the kitchen grabbing her school bag on the way.

She sat down at the empty kitchen table, her knees bouncing up and down. It was way too early for her foster parents to be up, she had jumped the gun a bit. She thought about leaving right then, the decided it would be better if they watched her leave for school. She drummed her fingers on the table nervously and looked at the clock. 6:05. Exasperated, she rose from her chair and paced the kitchen. After what seemed to be a long time, she looked back at the clock.

It was now 6:12.

Kelly groaned and slumped back down in her chair. She needed to relax. She looked around the kitchen and decided it would be a good idea to take some food with her. Kelly went over to the fruit bowl and grabbed a few apples and bananas and stuck them in her school bag. She opened the icebox and looked around. Thankfully, Mrs. Hanover had gone grocery shopping yesterday and it was well stocked. Kelly pulled out some sliced deli meat, a loaf of bread, and a bottle of milk. Carrying her selections to the table, she began to stuff them in her bag. She paused when she looked at the milk. It probably wouldn't last long. She left it on the table and grabbed a carton of juice instead. It was cold outside, it would be fine. Next, she opened the pantry door and grabbed a box of saltine crackers and package of cookies. Her bag full, she decided that anything else would have to be gotten along the way. Feeling productive, she poured some milk into a glass and drank it.

An hour later, the Hanover's made their way into the kitchen. As usual, they ignored her and went about their business. Mr. Hanover started making coffee while his wife opened the fridge.

"What do you want for breakfast, Jim?" she asked her husband absently

"How about some scrambled eggs." he answered back, shooting Kelly a dirty look.

She glared right back at him.

He didn't notice as he busied himself with the coffee maker.

Twenty minutes later, the Hanover's were eating toast and bacon and drinking coffee. They didn't offer any to Kelly and she didn't ask. She decided it was time to go because if she waited any longer she would most definitely burst.

"I'm going to school now." she announced standing up and hefting her bag over her shoulder. Her foster parents grunted in acknowledgement and continued with their breakfast.

Kelly walked out the front door, closed it gently, walked past the kitchen window and immediately broke into a run. She made her way to the side of the house, transferred her food into her duffel bag, discarded her school bag and jogged away towards the train station.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

The train station was irritatingly farther than she had thought it was. It was after ten in the morning when Kelly finally trudged into view of it. She headed within sight of the main gate, wondering just how she should go about her plan.

"Hey, where are you going?"

Kelly whirled around. A older man wearing a business suit was sitting on a bench with a newspaper in his hand.

"Shouldn't you be in school?" he asked, looking at her suspiciously.

Kelly stared at him. Would he tell on her? She couldn't take a chance.

She thought quickly. "No, sir, it's a holiday, we have the day off."

"A holiday? What holiday?" he asked, a puzzled expression on his face.

Kelly cursed herself. That was a stupid excuse.

"It's Magellen Day." she said, blurting out the first famous person she could think of. They had read about him in history class the previous week.

"Why haven't I heard about that?" the old man asked with a thoughtful expression.

"It's new. Johnson just signed it into law. I think it's only for public school, though." Kelly said lamely. Jesus Christ, she sounded stupid.

"Oh. Well I haven't been in public school for quite some time." he said. To Kelly's amazement, he seemed to have bought her story. Maybe he was drunk, she thought. Or humoring her. She didn't care, as long as he didn't bring a cop over to drag her back to school.

She grinned and shrugged at him. "You haven't been missing much."

He chuckled at her wit. "Say, what happened to your face?" he asked her.

Kelly quickly reached up and covered the nasty bruise on her right cheek.

"I was playing baseball with my friends." she said lightly.

He nodded and folded his newspaper as he stood.

"Well, young lady, I have a train to catch. Good talking with you. Be careful playing baseball. That pretty face of yours doesn't need any more bruises." he said with a kind smile.

Kelly grinned at him, the compliment sounding foreign to her ears. "Have a good day, sir." she said politely.

"You do the same, sweetheart." he said, heading toward the open gate.

She watched him walk away and then headed in a slightly different direction.

Although jumping a train would probably be easier at the main station where the trains were constantly coming and going, she didn't want to go through the main gate for fear of being stopped again. She couldn't count on the next person she ran into to be as nice as the old man she had just talked to. It was a school day after all and she was very much a kid. She avoided the main gate and walked parallel to the tracks, looking for some kind of opportunity. After fifteen minutes of walking without one, she began to get annoyed. Tired and dejected, she dumped her things on the ground, cleared off patch of snow, and sat down to rest. Her nervous energy of earlier that morning nearly spent, her sleepless night was starting to catch up to her. She pulled a banana out of her bag and wolfed it down hungrily. Kelly looked off into the distance and a ray of hope lifted up her mood. The tracks a few miles down curved off to the side in a sort of stockyard where cars could be parked for the night, serviced, or left for later pick up. She had an idea. She grabbed her things and jogged along the tracks.

Forty five minutes later, she found herself separated from the stockyard by only the tracks. She deftly crossed the two sets of train tracks and looked up at her final obstacle. A tall chain link fence, topped with three rows of barbed wire angled toward her to discourage intruders, blocked her entrance. She thought about walking around to where the huge gate opened to let the outgoing trains pass, but decided against it. It was too far away and she was tired of walking. She looked up again at the fence. It looked ominous. Nothing that couldn't be handled though. Luckily, Kelly was an athletic girl. She scurried around the fence looking for an ideal place to climb. As she made her way around she was surprised to hear music. She crouched down in the tall grass and began to crawl, terrified of being seen. Fifty or so feet farther, the music was much louder. Kelly chanced a peek over the concealing grass. She saw a group of men around a work station. Two were playing cards at an old grubby table, the third was walking towards a car with a wrench in his hand. The Rolling Stones' music was playing loudly out of the record player they had out on the table. Kelly crouched back down. She hadn't planned on getting past stockyard workers. Weighing her options carefully, she decided that they couldn't see her as long as she stayed below the tall grass. Kelly crawled along until the music had faded and she was sure she was a safe distance away. She peeked up again and scanned her surroundings. She would be blocked from view by three large cattle cars while she climbed the fence. Perfect, she thought to herself happily.

She stood and moved towards the fence, placing one foot on it and pushing to see how secure it was. It wobbled considerably and she prayed that it wouldn't fall on her when she climbed it. She decided on a starting point, but first, deducing that climbing would be too hard with any additional weight, she flung her knapsack into the air trying to get it over the fence. She failed the first time and it bounced off the top foot of the fence and came back at her. She safely dodged it and sighed in frustration. She took a few steps back and tried again. This time it went over. Her big duffel bag would be much more difficult. She heaved it back in forth in her arms trying to gain momentum and got ready to let it fly. Right before her fingers let go she aborted her plan suddenly and grabbed the bag, stumbling over in her effort to stop it. Muttering to herself, she opened her bag and took out the carton of juice. That would have been awful, she thought, grateful for her sudden realization. Catastrophe avoided, she swung the duffel bag as high as she could.

It sailed into the middle of the fence, bounced off and flopped back down to the ground.

"Oh, you've got to be kidding me!" Kelly raved out loud. How was she getting out of here if she couldn't even get her things over the fence? She tried again with the same outcome. Disgusted with herself, she flopped down on the ground and opened the carton of juice to take a drink. Then she was struck with a flash of genius.

Crawling over to the bag she opened it and dumped the contents on the ground. Clothes, two pairs of shoes, her food, a few books, and Lillibet lay scattered on the ground. Kelly quickly went to work. She stuffed her clothes and the bag through holes in the fence and pushed them through so they fell out on the other side. Taking a few steps backwards, she flung her shoes and books over the fence. It took several tries, but a few minutes later all of her possessions were safely on the other side. She just hoped she could find them all. All that was left was Lillibet.

"Sorry, Lillibet" she said and kissed the doll. She wound back her arm and fired the doll as high as she could. Lillibet sailed over the fence and got caught on a barb at the very top. She dangled over the fence caught by her hair and faced Kelly almost accusingly.

"Aw, damn" Kelly cursed. Leave it to Lillibet to make life difficult. Shaking her head in disapproval at her doll she began climbing the fence. Having had plenty of practice, the girl quickly reached the top. Getting over the barbed wire would prove to be more challenging. Kelly paused at the top of the fence, one hand gripping the wire between two barbs and the other holding her steady by the holes in the fence. She stayed there for a few moments unsure of how to proceed. Well, she could get one thing done while she was up here. Looking up at Lillibet, she flicked her off of the barb that had trapped her.

"It's for your own good, Lillibet. You'll thank me later." she quipped as Lillibet plummeted to the ground.

Kelly's focus went back to the task at hand. She had an idea. She gripped the top wire tightly and tried to see if she could drag it down to the second wire. It worked. Pleased with herself, she gripped the two wires and using her weight pulled them down to the third and farther until they were bent completely forward making a gap. She held the wires down with both hands about a foot apart as she monkey walked upwards until her feet were on the top of the fence. With a grunt of effort, she hoisted herself up. Now crouched on top of the fence, the difficult part was over and all she had to do was make the simple jump down to the other side.

Which she immediately failed.

She hadn't been expecting the barb wire to spring back in place once her weight was removed from it. The extra force was just enough to throw her off balance in the air. Flailing out of control, she landed hard on her right side and arm, the air whooshing out of her lungs in a strangled gasp.

Kelly groaned and writhed on the ground, the wind knocked out of her. The fence rattled loudly as if laughing at her failure.

After a minute, she rolled over and got to her knees. Hissing in pain, she stretched out her sore right arm and was relived to find that it wasn't broken. She stood up slowly, and glared back up at the fence, annoyed at herself for messing up the simplest part of her plan. Testing the rest of her body parts, she decided that she wasn't hurt too badly and went about the task of gathering her things. She picked up Lillibet and dusted her off.

"I know I fell, I was there." she said to the doll. She paused a second as if listening to the doll's side of the conversation.

"That's what I get for throwing you off the fence?!." she said in mock surprise. She was enjoying herself. "What do you mean you told me so?!"

She giggled to herself and put her ear to Lillibet. "I know I'm crazy." she said then paused again.

"Shut up." she said good naturedly, ending the conversation by stuffing Lillibet in the bag. The difficult task of getting over the fence accomplished Kelly felt almost delirious with joy. That is until she realized she still had to somehow get into a train.

She snuck around the cars, looking for one that was open and looked like it would be leaving soon. She spotted one that looked promising about fifteen feet off and carefully made her way towards it. This brought her much closer to the workers that she had seen earlier. The two playing cards had their view of her blocked and she desperately hoped that she wouldn't run into the third one. She made it to the car and frowned. She was a slender girl, but that opening was much too small for her to fit through. Dropping her things she wrapped both hands over the car door and pulled with all her might. The door wouldn't budge. She stopped for a second to shake out her sore right hand and then tried again. Groaning with effort, Kelly dug her heels into the ground trying to pull the door open a few more inches. It still wouldn't budge. In her frustration she wound her arm back ready to punch the door but decided against it at the last minute. Her hand was hurt enough and she needed both of them if she wanted to get out of here. She rested for a moment then rubbed her hands together ready to try again. Her fingers anchored into the side of the door, she was mentally counting to three when a loud banging sound and hiss came from behind her.

She shrieked in surprise and spun around half expecting to murdered by a crazy hippy. What she saw brought a smile to her face. The cars that were behind her had begun to move and as they did, a car with its door open about a foot rolled past her. Quickly grabbing her things, she sprinted after it. She had to hurry, she could tell it was starting to pick up speed. Kelly had always been a fast runner and she had no trouble catching up to the car. Her stuff on her back, she grabbed the side of the door and hoisted herself up off the ground.

A new dilemma reared its head. She couldn't quite fit inside the gap with her things on her back and the door wouldn't open any further. Unbelieving of her lack of good fortune, Kelly leaped back off of the car, caught her footing and gave chase again. This time when she caught up to the car, she tossed in her knapsack, then her duffel bag.

She suddenly heard shouts. She looked over her shoulder to see the three men she had seen earlier about twenty five yards away. They were pointing at her and running in her direction, waving their arms.

"Oh no," Kelly moaned. She turned her attention back to the car. A jolt of panic went through her as she realized that during her brief distraction, the train had sped up considerably and her car was now several feet ahead of her with her things on it. No, no, no, no, no, Kelly pleaded to herself. She pumped her arms and forced her legs to move faster.

Five more meet and she'd make.

She was gaining ground, but the train was picking up more and more speed.

Three more feet.

With a final cry of desperation she poured on the speed and with delight found her right arm clutching the door of her car. By then the train had gone beyond her running capabilities and she very suddenly was being dragged. Terrified of getting caught under the train, Kelly's free hand thrashed around trying to find something to cling to. She latched onto a metal bar and using all her strength swung her body around, her arms gripping the car and her legs flailing as they bounced off of the ground speeding below her. Her injured right hand seared with pain as she held on desperately for dear life. She managed to fling one leg up into the car and tried to pull herself up. She momentarily lost her balance and to her horror she felt herself teetering backwards. Adrenaline pumping, Kelly realized that if she fell off now, that would be it for her. At best, she would be caught by the stockyard workers and severely punished, and at worst, crushed underneath the train. Straining with everything she had, she gave one final heave and managed to hoist her body into the cart. She tumbled inside and rolled away from the door. Motionless, she lay on her back panting heavily, willing her heart rate to go back to normal and trying to recover from the sheer terror of the last thirty seconds.

She lay like that for several minutes listening to the train bouncing along the tracks, still trying to process the unbelievably risky, dangerous, insanity of what she had just done. She tried not to think about all the many ways her lunatic stunt could have gone horribly, horribly wrong.

Was escaping her life as a foster kid worth getting crushed to death under a speeding train?, she wondered. She thought for a second.

Yeah. Probably.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

??????

March 12th, 1967

Kelly sat cross legged in her train car, watching the countryside go by through the gap in the door. The little car had been her home for the past two weeks. She slept there at night, behind a stack of boxes to avoid detection, and during the day she rode from place to place. It was cramped, uncomfortable and grimy, and she had run out of food several days ago. When the car made stops, she crept out and was forced to sneak around, foraging for food and water. She was dirty, hungry, and cold.

Kelly Garrett had never been happier in her life.

In all her thirteen years, she had never had any freedom. She had always been told what to do, and when and how to do it. Now, completely on her own, she felt she was able to breathe for the first time. There was no one to hurt or disappoint her and she wasn't constantly watching her back and living her life walking on eggshells, terrified that the next thing she did or said would earn her some form of abuse.

It was exhilarating.

Her first night had been spent sleeping on the dirty floor of a boxcar with the winter wind blasting through her sore, aching body from the open door, no pillow or blanket, yet it had been the best nights sleep of her young life. The past two weeks had been pure heaven.

Kelly was thoroughly pleased with herself. She wondered if anyone was looking for her. She doubted that the Hanovers were losing much sleep over her disappearance. Though the police may have been contacted when she failed to show up to school day after day. She shrugged it off. She wasn't going back, she'd figure out something to do. She'd give it a few more days and then get off and make a life for herself in whatever place she ended up in.

She looked out the door again. There looked to be a city in the distance and she wondered if they would be making a stop soon. She was hungry and a pilfered donut or bag of popcorn was sounding pretty good. She had been finding most of her food from the trashcan, but growing up in an orphanage had conditioned her stomach to eat pretty much anything. I'm like a roach, she had thought with a giggle after her first recycled meal.

Kelly's wish came true when she felt the train start to slow down as they approached the city. She wondered where she was, and tried to figure it out based on the direction they had taken from Nevada and the distance they had traveled. She quickly gave up. It wasn't Nevada and that's all that mattered.

A few minutes later, she heard the familiar hissing squeal of the train's brake system and felt the car start to slow. After coasting to a bumpy stop, Kelly waited a few minutes before peeking her head out through the gap in the door. It was early afternoon, she guessed and the stockyard where they had stopped didn't look to be particularly busy.

She slipped out through the door of her car and cautiously crept alongside the rest of the train. She spotted a small building, little more than a shack, a ways off and decided to head towards it. As she neared it, loud, male, voices floated from inside of the little building. Kelly instinctively dove for cover behind an oil drum that was against the wall. She waited for a moment and then decided that she was relatively safe since they were inside and there was no windows on the side of the building that she was in front of. There might even be something to eat inside, but she'd have to wait until the men left. Not a problem though. Time was the one thing she had plenty of.

She looked down at the oil drum she had been crouching next to and noticed that it was filled with water. It probably functioned as a rain barrel, she reasoned. The water was clear and looked clean enough to her, so she dipped her hands in and drank a few handfuls. Her thirst taken care of, she splashed a little of the water on her face and hair, taking advantage of the opportunity to clean herself up a bit. Feeling refreshed, she shook her head of the excess water and sat down against the wall to wait for an opportunity to sneak inside.

The opportunity came a few hours later. She peeked her head over the corner of the wall and watched as seven men, laughing and joking, walked off and disappeared amongst the train cars. Kelly waited until they were out of sigh and snuck around to the door. Cautiously, she looked inside and, finding it empty, she walked in.

She looked around the little room. It looked like a little tool shed, with a wooden table in the middle and two benches pulled up on either side. A wooden counter ran along one wall and was covered in an assortment of tools and stacks of papers. Kelly shuffled over to the counter and picked up a long wrench. Never know when you might need a weapon, she thought to herself. She stuffed it in her jacket and went around to the table. There were some paper sacks on the table, most likely leftovers from the lunches of the men she had just seen. She rooted through the bags and was delighted to find a bag of unopened pretzels. Her prize clutched in her hands, she exited the shack and turned to walk back towards her train car. As she walked, she opened the bag of pretzels and began crunching on them hungrily, unable to wait any longer. Distracted by her pretzels, she didn't notice when she walked into the line of a sight of a man dressed in a security guard's uniform.

"Hey!" he shouted, surprised to see her there.

Kelly started and spun around, dropping her half-eaten pretzels.

"Hey! What are you doing here, kid?" he shouted again, walking towards her.

Kelly's stomach flipped and her blood run cold. Shit. She was busted.

Or was she?…

She bolted.

The security guard yelled his disapproval as he gave chase. Kelly sprinted through the tall grass and tried to lose her pursuer amongst the rows of train cars. The wrench that she had picked up slipped out of her jacket and fell to the ground. She slowed slightly as she considered for a split second if she should go back for it then quickly decided against it and abandoned it. He was too close. She heard him screaming angrily behind her for her to stop and she wondered for a frightening second if he had a gun. He wouldn't shoot a kid, would he? She certainly hoped not, as she darted between two cars and leaped over a set of tracks. She had put a bit of distance between them but she couldn't keep running much longer. Though she had been enjoying herself immensely on her journey, she hadn't been eating nearly enough and she was in a slightly weakened state.

Her sides hurting now, Kelly decided that hiding was a much better option than running. Without slowing down, she threw herself to the ground and slid underneath a nearby car. She scrabbled forward and tried to hide herself behind the wheels. Seconds later, the heavy steps of the security guard came to a halt within a few feet of her. She tried to hold her breath but she was still winded from her sprint. She hoped he couldn't hear. Not daring to make a move, she lay absolutely still under the car trying to control her labored breathing, and listened. There was another shout from farther away. She hadn't been able to make out what had been said but apparently the security guard did, because he answered back.

"I don't know!" he yelled between breaths, "She went over here somewhere!"

The voice in the distance called out again.

"Yeah, a kid!" the guard yelled back in an irritated voice. "A fucking kid, a girl!" Kelly watched his feet as he paced around.

The voice was getting closer and Kelly could make it out now.

"A girl? How did she get in here?" Kelly could now see the feet of the speaker as he jogged toward the guard.

"Hell if I know." the security guard said. "She's probably hiding in one of these cars."

"Are you sure it's a kid?" The speaker's shoes were directly in front of Kelly now. She tried to hold her breath.

"Yes, I'm sure, I saw her right in front of me! Some skinny kid with brown hair in a blue jacket!"

"Should I call the cops?" the second voice asked.

"Let's call once we catch her, I don't want to bring them out here for nothing again." the guard answered back.

Kelly's hands instinctively flew over her ears, as the guard banged into the door of the car she was under with his nightstick. The deafening clang rattled loudly through the quiet stockyard. Kelly shut her eyes tight and waited in agony for it to stop.

"Come on out, kid!" the guard's voice boomed out after the echo had subsided. "You won't be in trouble if you just come out right now."

Kelly rolled her eyes. She wouldn't be in trouble if they didn't catch her either.

The guard banged on the next car. It was loud, but not as loud as the first time. Kelly waited until he was four or five cars down from her and carefully started backing out from her hiding place on the opposite side, putting the entire train between them.

"There she is!" she heard someone scream. She whirled around and saw what must have been the owner of the second voice she had heard earlier. Cursing herself for being so careless, she spun around and broke into a dead run.

"Stop!" he yelled as he started after her.

Kelly pounded through the gravel at the side of the tracks. She heard him yell and wondered idly if yelling stop to someone you were chasing ever resulted in them actually stopping. Probably not. Stopping was most definately not an option. She didn't dare look back, but she could tell he was gaining on her. She saw another row of cars and decidedly turned towards them, hoping she could again hide. She was tiring quickly, and she put all her focus and energy into reaching those cars.

Her hope quickly ended.

Kelly thought for a split second that she had run into a wall, before she realized she had been tackled. She cried out as she was slammed to the ground. She looked up, bewildered, and saw the face of the security guard. He must have cut her off, she realized in dismay. She kicked out at him, desperate to escape, and felt her foot connect with his stomach. His hold momentarily loosened, she flipped on her stomach and tried to crawl away from him.

He grunted in pain, but managed to grab hold of the back of her shirt, yanking her to a sudden halt. He quickly climbed on top of her and rammed his knee in between her shoulder blades, smashing her into the ground. Kelly panicked and thrashed around trying to free herself, yelling incoherently at the guard. The man reached over, grabbed both her wrists and pinned them firmly to the ground in front of her.

"Let me go!" she screamed, struggling uselessly against him.

"Hey, little girl, you're in a whole world of trouble, so you better just calm down!" he barked at her angrily.

Kelly continued to thrash for a moment, then realizing she was beat, gave up her fight. She lay panting for a second, catching her breath, then muttered. "Get off of me!"

"Not yet." he said back calmly.

Kelly heard footsteps and turned her head to see the man that had been chasing her earlier, still breathless, along with someone else.

"You got her?" the newcomer asked.

"No, I got him. Fooled you, didn't I?" Kelly answered back angrily.

The newcomer laughed. The other man walked over, took hold of her arm, and together with the guard they pulled her to her feet.

Kelly brushed herself off and glared at the guard.

"What are you doing in here?" the newcomer asked her. He seemed to be the most friendly of the group.

Kelly shrugged her shoulders. He grabbed her arm and pulled her in his direction. Having no other choice, Kelly didn't protest.

"Come on, kid." he said leading her along. "We need to have a little talk."


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Roanoke, Virginia

Kelly sat miserably on a bench at the police station. She had been here for hours. After she was caught at the stockyard, the men had sat her in the shack she had visited earlier and had waited there until a police car pulled up. The men left her inside while they talked briefly with the officer. Kelly couldn't hear them, but she could see them gesturing and pointing at her through the window. She was in big trouble, she could tell. The police officer had finally led her out and put her in the back of the patrol car. He had lectured her the entire fifteen minutes back into town. Kelly hadn't said a word to him. Finally, they had arrived at the police station, where she had been pushed onto the bench and threatened not to so much as get up to go to the bathroom.

Kelly closed her eyes and leaned her head back against the wall behind her. She felt so tired. She had just started to fall asleep, when she felt a hand squeeze her shoulder.

She opened her eyes and looked up at a tall, middle aged man in a brown suit with a receding hairline. He had a leather bag slung over his shoulder and a paper cup of coffee in his hand. He looked friendly enough.

"Come with me, honey." he said kindly. Kelly stood and followed him.

He led her to a small bare room, with a rectangle shaped table in the middle and a chair on either side. He motioned for her to sit in one of the chairs and she obeyed. He sat down across from her, folding his hands in front of him.

"Ok, I guess we can start with your name." he began, looking at her expectantly.

Kelly thought briefly about lying, then decided she was already in enough trouble as it was.

"Kelly" she answered him.

"Kelly what?" the man prompted.

She sighed. "Kelly Garrett."

"Uh huh," he said. He reached down and pulled a notepad and pen out of his bag and started scribbling.

"Garrett. That with two T's?" he asked her without looking up.

Kelly nodded. He didn't see her because he was writing, so not hearing an answer, he looked up.

"Yes, sir." she repeated.

He stopped writing and put the pen down.

"Kelly, my name is Detective Steven Walsh, and I'm just going to ask you a few questions, alright?" he asked her in a pleasant voice.

Kelly nodded again.

"How old are you, Kelly?" Detective Walsh asked, his voice still pleasant.

"Thirteen." she answered. He nodded his head and wrote something in the notepad.

"Where you do live" he continued, with his pen hovering above the notepad.

Kelly hesitated. Here we go…

"Carson City." she said cautiously waiting to see what his reaction would be. She would love to see that notepad later.

He put the pen to the paper and then froze. He glanced back up at her, a confused expression on his face.

"Carson City? Carson City, Nevada?" the detective asked unbelievingly.

Kelly nodded at him and lowered her eyes.

"Where are your parents, Kelly?" he asked softly after a moment. He put the pen down and leaned forward.

Kelly hesitated again, unsure of how to answer the question. She shifted uncomfortably in her chair while she thought, then decided that going with her most recent set of parents would be the answer he was probably looking for. It would also be the explanation that would require her to offer up the least amount of information about herself.

"Carson City, Nevada." she admitted.

"I'm going to assume that they don't know that you're here, am I right?" He was looking at her with concern now. It made Kelly very uncomfortable and she wrung her hands nervously together under the table.

"Kelly?" the detective pressed, when she didn't answer. "Do your parents know where you are?"

She shook her head.

Detective Walsh leaned back in his chair and exhaled sharply. He looked at Kelly and took in her dirty clothes, her scrapes and bruises, and her exhausted, pinched appearance. It looked like he had another runaway case on his hands. The officer that had brought her down had said she was hostile and uncooperative. Looking at her now, with her head lowered, slumped in her chair, he didn't see how that was possible. She just looked like a scared little girl to him.

"Why did you run away from home, Kelly?" Detective Walsh asked following his instincts.

Kelly was about to answer when there was a sudden knock on the door. Without waiting to be invited in, a young man in a police uniform opened the door and poked his head inside.

"Walsh, you got anything on her yet?" he asked loudly.

Detective Walsh shot him an annoyed look.

"Yeah, go ahead and call down to Carson City, ask about a Kelly Garrett." he said quickly.

"Carson City? Nevada?" the officer repeated in disbelief. "What the hell you doing all the way over here, kid?"

Kelly didn't answer. Annoyingly, he redirected his question to Detective Walsh.

"What is she doing all the way over here?" he asked again.

"I don't know yet." Walsh answered, clearly irritated. "Go and call Carson City. Kelly Garrett. Go." he reiterated. He needed to talk to this girl alone, and the officer was obviously not taking the hint.

"Ok. Carson City. Garrett. Got it. See ya' Walsh." the officer repeated. Finally he closed the door and was gone. Kelly watched him go and was still looking at the door, when Detective Walsh cleared his throat, redirecting her attention.

"Why did you run away, Kelly?" he asked again.

She sighed as she propped her elbows on the table and buried her face in her hands.

"I don't know." she mumbled through her fingers. She felt so tired all of a sudden. Walsh, decided to change the topic for now.

"How did you get all the way over here from Nevada." he asked leaning back in his chair.

"The train." Kelly answered him, lowering her hands into her lap again.

"The train, yes. We found some of your things in one of the cars." he picked up the pen again. "How did you get on the train, is what I'm trying to ask here." He smiled at her.

She looked at him, not sure whether she should admit to stowing away in one of the cars. Why not, she thought, I doubt this can get any worse.

"I snuck on." Kelly admitted finally, then suddenly feeling restless she added, "Look sir, I didn't hurt anybody, can I please just go."

"You hurt your parents by running away." the detective countered gently.

"They don't care about me." she shot back angrily. Then she stopped and braced herself for the inevitable slap that she had earned by back talking. That was uncalled for. And she was revealing too much. She bit her bottom lip nervously as she eyed the detective warily, waiting for his reaction.

To her relief, he didn't hit her.

"I'm sorry, sir." she whispered, lowering her eyes again.

Detective Walsh nodded his head and stared at her. "Alright, Kelly, wait here for me, I'm going to go check on that phone call, and I'll be right back." He stood and walked out of the room shutting the door closed behind him.

Kelly laid her head down on the table wearily. She felt like crying. They would find out everything soon and she would be sent back to the Hanover's house where she would certainly be beaten. Or kicked out. While the possibility of leaving the Hanover's seemed good, the idea of packing up and moving to a different foster home made her stomach turn. She sat quietly for several minutes longer, wondering what was going to happen.

The door opened with a creak, and Kelly turned around to see Detective Walsh walk back in. He set down a bottle of Coca Cola and a hot sandwich wrapped in aluminum foil in front of her.

"You looked like you could use that." he said to her by way of explanation.

"Thank you, sir." she said gratefully, giving him her first smile of the evening.

He smiled back at her. "Ok, you eat, and I'll just be a few minutes longer, alright?" He walked out the door again.

Kelly tore into the foil and took a bite out of the sandwich. She hadn't realized how hungry she was until then and she quickly downed the sandwich and cola. Her stomach full for the first time in days, she suddenly felt very sleepy. She laid her head back down on the table and fell into a light sleep.

She found herself being gently shaken awake half an hour later by Detective Walsh. She started, and looked up at him with bleary eyes.

"Hey, we talked to your foster dad, and we're going to try to get you on the first plane to Nevada, alright?" he told her.

He wasn't sure what to think. Kelly's police file had bothered him. Why had she not been reported missing for nearly three days? He had talked to the girl's foster dad and had not been at all impressed with him. He had struck Walsh as an arrogant bigot and the detective taken an instant dislike to him during the brief phone call. James Hanover had expressed anger and offense at Kelly's actions, had attacked her character, and had assured him that she would be punished severely. He didn't ask to speak to her or to give her a message for him, or inquire if she was hurt, sick, or scared. The lack of concern for her well being disturbed Walsh. No wonder the poor kid ran off.

A quick background check had provided even more troubling information about her and he felt genuinely bad about having to return her to her foster parents and set up a court date for her offenses. But he had to do his job.

Kelly nodded her acceptance. She sensed something different about his behavior, but couldn't put her finger on it. So she ignored it.

"When will I be going back?" she asked instead.

"Late tomorrow morning." he answered quickly, "You'll stay here in one of the holding cells tonight, and I'll come pick you up in the morning."

"Ok," Kelly agreed quietly.

"Alright, sweetheart, you look like you're ready to drop. I'll take you back now so you can get some sleep." Walsh said, taking hold of her elbow and helping her to her feet.

She let herself be led to a small but clean little cell. Her bags were waiting for her inside. After wishing Walsh a goodnight, she crawled into the little cot and allowed herself to fall into a fitful sleep.

The detective arrived around eight the next morning with another officer who was to be her police escort.

"Good morning." he said cheerfully. "Did you sleep well?"

"Yes, sir." Kelly answered him. She hadn't really, but no need to be negative so early in the morning.

"I thought we'd have some breakfast first and then I'll take you down to the airport." Walsh said looking at his watch. "So, let's get your things and we'll get going." He turned to the officer who was to escort Kelly back to Nevada.

"You want to meet us around 11:00?"

The officer shrugged and nodded his head.

Walsh reached down and took Kelly's big duffel bag for her and she followed, the little knapsack slung over her shoulder.

On their way out, she heard someone shout out.

"Hey, Carson City Kelly!"

She turned to see the annoying young officer from last night standing up on the other side of the room waving at her, a huge smile plastered across his face. Not knowing what else to do, she gave him a small wave back. He sent her a thumbs up.

Walsh heaved an annoyed sigh, and put his arm around Kelly's shoulder, leading her out the door.

He drove Kelly to a little diner nearby and led her to a secluded booth in the back.

"Order whatever you like." he told her kindly, flipping his menu up on the table. "This place has great omelettes, pancakes, pretty much everything. You'll want to stay away from the fish, though." he joked in an attempt to get her to loosen up a bit.

Kelly smiled weakly and scanned the menu, feeling slightly unsettled. She was here for a reason, she knew. They sat in silence for a few minutes. When the waitress came, she ordered the cheapest thing she could find on the menu.

"Oh come on, you have to be hungrier than that." the detective prodded her. "Don't be shy."

Kelly's face flushed and she glanced nervously at both him and the waitress, then stammered out her order for the next priced item on the menu. Scrambled eggs, bacon, and toast. For some reason, she was relieved to be done ordering.

"Anything to drink, sweetie?" the waitress asked, scribbling on her pad.

Kelly appeared as if she had been asked the winning question on Jeopardy. She looked up at Walsh nervously, as if asking his permission. It wasn't often that people bought her things and it made her uncomfortable. He waved his hand at her, urging her to order.

"A glass of juice, please." she answered finally, laying down her menu.

"What kind of juice" the waitress asked looking at her.

Oh my God, just surprise me, Kelly thought to herself. She was getting flustered with the attention Walsh was giving her. Why were they both just staring at her. Was everyone staring at her? He had to be looking for something from her.

"Orange" she said quickly. Please don't ask me what brand, she pleaded to herself. Luckily, Kelly's answer seemed to satisfy her.

She set her menu back down on the table and slid it towards the waitress. Walsh completed his order, and the waitress bustled off. They waited in maddening silence for a few more minutes. The waitress returned shortly with their drinks and hurried off again.

The detective watched the waitress as she walked off into the kitchen again and then turned to Kelly. He decided it was time to break the silence.

"So, Kelly, tell me about your foster parents." Walsh said, once the waitress was out of earshot.

There it was.

Kelly shrugged and stalled for a second. "What do you want to know?" she asked back.

"What are they like? How do they treat you?" he clarified.

"They're ok." Kelly answered evasively.

"Just ok?" Walsh asked raising his eyebrows.

"Just ok."

"I talked to your dad last night, he seems like a great guy." he said happily. He did that on purpose. He wanted to gauge her reaction.

A fleeting look of contempt registered on Kelly's face before she caught herself and neutralized her expression. That was enough to confirm the detective's suspicions.

"Yeah, he is." Kelly forced herself to answer. The words left an almost rancid taste in her mouth.

"I'm actually not entirely convinced that you believe that." the detective went on, leaning forward. "Does he hit you?"

Kelly tensed immediately. She started to sweat. What could she say without getting into more trouble? If the Hanover's found out she was speaking badly of them, she would get it for sure.

"No, he's a great guy." she lied. Her eyes betrayed her. Walsh wasn't fooled.

"You ran away from home, Kelly." he went on gently. "Kids who are happy at home don't cross nine states to get away. What's going on, I might be able to help you."

She looked away, unable to answer him. Without realizing it, she began to tear at her paper napkin.

"Kelly? Are you afraid that he'll hurt you if you tell the truth?" the detective asked in a low voice.

Kelly nervously played with her napkin, avoiding eye contact, as she ripped it to shreds. Walsh was undeterred by her silence.

"He said he was going to teach you a lesson when you got home." he pressed. "What does that mean, Kelly?"

She let out a shaky breath and silently wished the train had run her over.

"Sweetheart, I want to help you but you have to talk to me." he pleaded. He started to continue, but the waitress came with their meals. She raised her eyebrows at Kelly, who was breathing hard, looking every bit like a trapped animal. She set the plates down in front of them and Walsh thanked her as she walked off, her eyes still on the girl. Walsh picked at his food, watching Kelly intently. She looked scared. Kelly stared at her plate, without moving. They sat in silence for a while longer, Walsh trying to figure out a different approach to take with the girl.

This time it was who Kelly found her voice first.

"Sometimes." she whispered.

Walsh was surprised to hear her speak.

"Sometimes what?" he pressed again.

"Sometimes he hits me." she clarified, shifting uncomfortably in her seat. She was looking over her shoulder, still unable to look him in the eye.

"I thought that." the detective said with a nod. "Do they treat you well, besides that?"

Kelly swallowed. Might as well, he said he could help her.

She shook her head. "They ignore me most of the time. I get yelled at a lot. Pushed around. They don't like me too much." she admitted.

Walsh nodded his head. Judging from her behavior, he had a suspicion it was much worse than she was letting on.

"I can help get you moved out of there if you like. Place you somewhere else."

Kelly's face brightened.

"You can? How? When can I move out?" she blurted out quickly.

"I'll make some calls. If you like, I might be able to arrange that you not even go back to them today."

Kelly smiled broadly. Yes, that definitely sounded acceptable.

"You still have to go to court. You did break a few laws, you know, I can't help you with that." he said as he took a bite of his pancakes.

Kelly's face fell. Oh yeah. That. Who cares about that?

"But I won't have to go back to the Hanover's?" she asked. This was far more crucial to her.

"No, we'll find someplace else for you. I'll call the foster placement agency while you're on your way back to Nevada and see if we can work something out."

Kelly's grin returned

"Thank you." she said with a grateful smile.

Feeling relieved, she dug into her breakfast.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

San Diego, California

July 20th, 1969

"Fake."

Kelly rolled her eyes at her foster brother. She was sitting on the floor leaning against the arm of the big couch in the living room. They, along with her foster parents were glued to the television watching footage of the moon landing on the evening news. Kelly was fascinated, but her arrogant foster brother was much harder to impress.

"There's no way that's real. It's all in a studio somewhere. Movie magic." he scoffed

"The only thing magical is that you're able to walk and breathe at the same time." she shot back.

Her foster father, who was sitting on the couch behind her, nudged her in the back with his foot.

"Hey, you kids play nice." he said absently, his attention focused on the T.V.

She grinned at him and turned her attention back to the news.

It had been a little over two years since her failed escape attempt. Detective Walsh had kept his promise, and she was spared from seeing the Hanovers again. She had been placed in an orphanage for a few weeks, until her court date the following month.

Her little stunt had earned her a six month stay in a juvenile correction facility for girls. She hadn't minded much. It had been very much like the orphanages she had grown up in, only with significantly less nuns and a much greater chance of getting stabbed in the restrooms. She was a tough kid though, and after a few scrapes, the rest of the inhabitants had decided that it was better to leave Kelly Garrett alone. Once established, she had been a model inmate during her stay and ended up being released two weeks early.

Unfortunately, her stunt had also earned her a label of "difficult child" and it made placing her in a foster home much more challenging. She had stayed in an orphanage for an additional six months before finally being placed in the Brandon's home. Peter and Veronica Brandon were a nice couple, who had taken on both foreign exchange students and foster children before, and they treated Kelly well. She was happier, and everything she did reflected that. She was doing well in school, opening up more, and seemed overall content with her new life. The Brandon's had two children of their own. A seventeen year old son, Derek, and a nineteen year old daughter, Michelle, who had moved out the previous summer. Michelle had been pleasant to Kelly while they shared their home, but being much older, they had never really been too close. Derek was alright, Kelly thought. Arrogant as could be and a little creepy, but alright. She thought he might have a crush on her and it made her feel a little awkward around him.

He wasn't alone in his feelings. Fifteen and a half now, Kelly was maturing into a gorgeous young girl. She had filled out considerably from her former lanky self and had grown a few inches taller. Her green eyes and long, dark, wavy hair accentuated her soft facial features and smooth complexion. Boys were definitely beginning to take notice of her in school. She was going to enter her first year at the senior high school in the fall, and she was excited by the prospect of having two consecutive school years in the same city.

"Come on, Dad" Derek complained. "You don't really believe this do you?

"Son, I believe things that are right in front of my face. Maybe you should too." Peter answered wisely, without looking at his son.

"Shh! They're talking" Veronica snapped putting an end to the discussion. They were airing Neil Armstrong's famous words.

"That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind." The static filled transmission floated from their television.

With the exception of Derek, they all sat in silence for a minute appreciating the magnitude of this moment.

Suddenly, Kelly blinked and tilted her head to the side.

"Wait," she replied after a moment, a puzzled look on her face. "That doesn't make any sense."

They thought about it and Veronica agreed.

"Maybe he was nervous."

"Or in a studio." Derek added cynically.

Kelly rolled her eyes again.

"I'm going to go check on dinner." Veronica excused herself from the room.

The news over, Peter turned the television off and faced the two teenagers.

"What have you kids got planned for tomorrow night?" he asked them.

Kelly let Derek answer first. She liked her new foster parents, but out of habit, she was still quiet and reserved.

"I don't think I'm doing anything, why?" Derek answered after a brief hesitation.

"Kelly?" Peter turned his gaze to her.

"I'm not doing anything either." she replied immediately. Maybe she should have hesitated too, before admitting how boring she was.

"Your sister's coming over for dinner, she'll probably want to see you, though I can't imagine why." Peter told his son. He had a joking smile on his face. "You too, Kelly." he quickly added.

"That sounds like fun." Kelly agreed amicably.

"Alright, I'm going to go help your mom in the kitchen." Peter said, getting up out of his chair. "Play nice."

Derek watched his father leave, then turned the television back on. While he flipped through the channels, Kelly hopped up on the couch. Settling on a station, Derek stood back up and sat down on the couch too.

A bit too close to Kelly.

Feeling awkward, she leaned away from him to rest her elbow on the arm of the couch.

"I like this show." Derek said casually, his eyes on the television.

"Yeah, me too." Kelly responded. It was some variety show. They were pretty much all the same. Bob Hope was hosting this one though, so it looked promising.

The two teens watched in silence for awhile. Derek suddenly scooted a few inches closer. Kelly watched him out of the corner of her eye. When he didn't move again, she returned her attention to the program they were watching.

He reached his hand over and rested it on her knee. Kelly decided that was enough.

"What are you doing?" she said uneasily, whirling around to face him.

"Come on, Kelly." he grinned at her. "You like me, right?"

"What?" she sputtered. She realized his hand was still on her knee and she moved away.

This seemed to anger him.

"Oh come on, you don't have any friends and you're starting high school." he said as if he were reasoning with a child. "Think how hip you'll be if you were dating an older guy."

Kelly laughed. "Think how messed up people will think we are."

"Why, you're not really my sister." he said, folding his arms in front of his chest.

"Look, I don't think that's a good idea." she said warily, moving away from him. She was starting to get angry now.

"Give me one good reason." he pressed.

"Because I already said no." she snapped at him, setting her jaw and standing to her full height with her hands clenched into fists at her side, her eyes glittering dangerously. This look had usually kept her safe from getting into fights at the correction center.

It worked again. Derek slapped his hand on the couch cushion, got up, and angrily stormed up to his room.

Kelly breathed a sigh of relief. What in hell was that all about?

Kelly spent the entire next day trying to avoid her foster brother. He had always been a little creepy, but last night was the first time he had outright stated his intentions. That evening at dinner, they didn't say a word to each other. Everyone else was unaware of the tension between Kelly and Derek and dinner conversation was cheerful and upbeat as Peter and Veronica caught up with their oldest child. Her first year of college had come to an end early that June, and she had immediately gone on a month long excursion with her sorority sisters. This was the first time she had seen her parents in months.

"My American History professor was a crazy hippy!" Michelle exclaimed, between bites of bread. "All he did was talk about how we're wasting our time in Vietnam! If you argue with him, he'll fail you!"

Peter and Veronica shared a look. Were they actually paying money for their daughter to listen to that?

"I don't think I learned a thing." she said thoughtfully. She shrugged. "Other than that, all of my classes went alright this past term"

"How were your marks?" Peter asked her.

"Oh, and there was this guy in my sociology class that was always sick. Like, everyday. I had to sit next to him and listen to him cough and blow his nose every five seconds. I'm surprised I didn't catch the plague or something." she laughed, trying to change the subject.

It didn't work.

"Michelle, your marks." Peter insisted.

"Oh, dad. I did alright. I got three A's" she lifted her glass. "And a C." she admitted. She quickly started drinking her iced tea.

Kelly grinned. This was great. She took a bite of her meatloaf and watched her foster sister with amusement. She suddenly caught Derek's eye. He had been staring at her, a strange expression on his face.

Kelly quickly turned away.

"What was the C in?" Peter asked his daughter, folding his arms over his chest.

"College Algebra." Michelle said with a sneer, rolling her eyes.

"Algebra?!" her father repeated, "I thought you were good at algebra?"

"This algebra is different. It's college algebra. It's hard, Dad, I tried my best." she whined.

"It's just one grade, and college math is difficult." Veronica soothed her husband.

"Yeah, Dad, I got A's in all my other classes, and I have three more years to bring my grades up." Michelle added.

"Well, ok. Try harder next time. Go to study sessions, find a smart friend." Peter lectured.

"Ok, Dad, I will." she said with a sigh. "Hey, did you guys see the moon landing footage." It was time to change the subject. "Isn't that wild?" she said grinning.

"Derek seemed to think so." Veronica said, glancing at her son.

He didn't answer. He had been looking at Kelly again. She shot him an annoyed glance and looked away.

"Hey, Kelly, are you starting at Grant in the fall" Michelle asked her. Grant was the senior high school.

"Oh, yeah, I am." Kelly answered, still distracted by Derek's staring.

"Hey, that's great," she said cheerfully. "Are you excited? Going to try out for any sports or anything?"

Kelly nodded. "I think I might go out for the track team." she said back.

"Wild! I bet you'll do great, I've seen you run." Michelle said with a laugh. She had almost made herself sick laughing when Kelly had been chased by a dog the previous summer. Everyone in the neighborhood knew the big animal was as friendly and harmless as a kitten. Except for Kelly. She was new. The dog had seen her as she was getting the mail and had lumbered after her. Kelly had dropped the mail in panic and had raced to the safety of a big tree a block away. Thinking she was playing, the big dog had happily given chase. Michelle was driving home and passed by just in time to see Kelly fly down the street at full tilt, leap up and swing herself into the lowest branch of the tree, the dog close on her heels. She had nearly wrecked her car, and had finally parked and come to Kelly's rescue with tears of laughter streaming down her face.

"Thanks." Kelly said, blushing a little, obviously remembering the incident in question. They were all looking in her direction, chuckling softy at the memory. Derek's look, however, was different from that of his family, and not at all amused.

The family talked happily throughout their meal, and when they had finished, cleared the table, and moved to the living room to play cards.

"We need some dessert." Veronica decided. "Do we have any ice cream?" she asked.

Kelly got up to check. There was ice cream, but sadly not nearly enough. She went back to report the terrible news to her foster family.

"I'm afraid I have bad news. There's ice cream in the freezer. But it won't last long. I'm sorry." she said sadly as if she were revealing the death of a family member.

Her foster family laughed at her comical delivery. She had a dry sense of humor that had only recently begun to show itself the past few months. They found her wit extremely amusing and it made her all the more enjoyable to be around.

Veronica chuckled and then cleared her throat.

"Well, Derek, would you mind running down to the store and getting some? Why don't you take Kelly with you." She thought the two teens might be bored listening to Michelle's college stories.

"Sure, mom." Derek said happily, standing up.

Kelly looked at her foster mother completely dumbfounded. Really? Not wanting to make a scene, she agreed and followed Derek out the front door.

Kelly got into the passenger seat of the family car and sat quietly as Derek keyed the ignition and pulled out of the driveway. The two sat in tense silence for the few minutes it took to get to the store.

Once at the store, Derek parked and got out of the car. When Kelly didn't follow he looked backwards over his shoulder, giving her an inquiring look.

"I'll wait here." Kelly said simply. He had been making her extremely uncomfortable all evening. No need to be with him any longer than necessary.

Derek waved his arm dismissively and walked into the store. He returned ten minutes later with a gallon of ice cream.

"Here." he said shoving the ice cream to Kelly. She put it on her lap as they pulled out of the parking lot.

They were about a mile from the house, when he suddenly pulled over on the curb and parked. He turned off the engine, pulled the keys out of the ignition and folded his arms over his chest.

"What are you doing?" Kelly asked him uneasily.

"I want to talk to you." he said facing her.

"Talk to me about what?" she asked suspiciously. She had one hand on the door handle, ready to bolt if necessary. She had shared a house with him for over a year and this was the first time she had actually felt unsafe around him. It was a sickening feeling.

"Don't act like you don't know." he said narrowing his eyes at her.

Kelly stared at him.

"Look, I've hidden my feelings for you for a long time, and I think that its only fair that you give me a chance. I have been nothing but nice to you since my parents agreed to let you stay with us." he tried to reason with her.

Arrogant bastard, Kelly thought to herself, put off by his logic.

"Only fair? I already told you no. I think it's only fair that you leave me alone about it." she snapped back at him. She was starting to get scared and being scared made her angry.

He angrily ran his hand through his hair.

"Just think about it, ok. We'll talk about this later" he said.

"I think you're out of your mind!" Kelly shot back raising her voice. "We aren't going to talk about it later. We are done talking about it. You bring it up again and I'll tell your dad." she threatened. That last part sounded childish even to her, but she meant it.

Derek snorted. "He won't believe you, you're a damn criminal, you should be grateful that my parents even le-"

Kelly cut him off, not wanting to hear what he was going to say to her.

"We need to go back, the ice cream is melting." she said flatly.

Derek glowered at her for a moment, and then started the car and drove them home.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

October 11th, 1969

The next few months passed without incident. Kelly started high school and found her niche on both the gymnastics and track teams. Running had always come natural to her, and she excelled at track, landing a spot on the varsity team her first year. She had joined gymnastics on a whim, remembering how much she had enjoyed it when she was younger. She was out of practice, but her natural grace and athleticism ensured that she picked it up quickly, and she did very well. Her teachers and classmates liked her, and Kelly did well in her classes.

It was mid-October now, and the homecoming dance was coming up. A boy from her biology class had asked her to the dance. She had been flattered, but declined. Too many people. Crowds made her nervous. After finding out the reason behind her refusal, Ben had suggested that they do something else, wanting only her company and not caring what they did. Kelly agreed and was waiting for him to pick her up.

She decided to give her hair one more comb through and headed to the bathroom. To her annoyance, she ran into Derek in the hallway. Both teens awkwardly passed around each other and Kelly quickly ducked into the bathroom. Derek poked his head in.

"Where are you going?"

"Out." Kelly answered back shortly.

"With who?" he asked again.

"A friend." she said back wishing he would go away. She picked up her comb and began brushing her hair, hoping he'd get the message.

He didn't.

"A guy friend?" Derek pressed.

"None of your business." she countered.

"So you give some other guy a chance then." he said leaning against the doorframe.

She ignored him. There was a knock at the door. Kelly breathed a sigh of relief. Thank you, God.

"I have to go." she said pushing past him.

Seething, he watched as she greeted Ben at the door, walked out with him and got int his car. They drove off.

This wasn't fair at all.

Kelly returned a little after eleven that night. Ben had taken her out for pizza and bowling. The two had had a blast and when the game was over, sat in the car in the parking lot talking. They had a lot in common and Kelly found herself liking him very much. The two teens had talked for hours before deciding that they had better be heading home. Ben drove her back and parked alongside the curb in front of her house. Neither anxious to part ways, they stayed stalling in the car.

"I had a great time tonight, thank you." Kelly said softly giving Ben a shy grin.

"Yeah, me too. Much better than if we had gone to the Homecoming Dance." he said, a smile crossing his handsome face.

"I'm sorry I kept you from the dance." Kelly said apologetically.

Ben laughed. "Who cares. I didn't even want to go. It was just the only thing that I could think of to ask you to."

Kelly smiled at him. The two sat in awkward silence for a few seconds.

"You're beautiful." Ben blurted out, wanting to break the silence.

Kelly blushed furiously and looked down.

"And even if you weren't, I'd still like you." Ben went on. He paled at the stupidity of his words. She made him so nervous.

"I mean, cause you're fun and-" he searched for words. "A good bowler." He looked away and rolled his eyes in disgust, amazed at how stupid he was sounding.

Kelly laughed. "I did terrible." She hadn't noticed him stumbling over his words. She was too busy fighting off the butterflies in her own stomach.

"That's ok, we still had fun." he said back to her.

"Yeah, we did." Kelly said quietly.

"Maybe we can do it again, sometime?" Ben stammered hopefully, a nervous tone to his words. "I mean not bowling, but maybe something else?"

Kelly beamed. That definitely sounded good to her.

"Sure, I'd like that." she said.

Ben smiled at her and the two sat again in awkward silence.

"Well, I better go inside, I said I'd be back before eleven." Kelly said regretfully. It was ten past eleven now.

Ben nodded. "Yeah, me too."

They sat still for a few moments, and Kelly finally turned and fumbled around the car door, not quite remembering where the door handle was and unable to see it in the dark. Ben leaned over and guided her hand to it. Her stomach did a flip when his hand brushed against hers. She blushed again.

Kelly clicked open the door and turned back to him.

"Thanks again, Ben, I really had fun." she said shyly.

He grinned and nodded his head at her. Kelly pushed open the door and started to get out. She stopped when she felt his hand gently touch her arm and turned around. Ben was smiling lopsidedly at her. He'd been wanting to do this all night and this was his last chance.

He leaned in and kissed her sweetly.

Both teens then quickly turned away, smiling awkwardly.

"Goodnight." Kelly whispered breathlessly as she climbed out of the car.

"Goodnight." he repeated. She closed the car door, still smiling.

She managed to keep her cool as she strolled up the walkway, then a big goofy grin plastered itself across her pretty face. Her first kiss. Her lips felt tingly where he had kissed her. She had never felt so giddy. She liked him so much. Fighting back the urge to giggle, she turned to wave at him, as she reached her front door. He drove away waving back at her. Then he stopped, pulled into a driveway a few houses down, backed out and drove off in the correct direction. They waved to each other again as he passed. Giggling now, she let herself in the house. It was dark, everyone must have already gone to bed, she thought. Humming happily to herself, she made her way into the kitchen to get herself a glass of juice. She pulled open the refrigerator door and pulled the juice out. She poured out a glass and went to put the juice back. As she turned, the dim light of the refrigerator revealed the silhouette of someone sitting at the kitchen table. She gasped in surprised and flicked on the kitchen light. It was Derek.

"What, are you spying on me now?" she said to him, annoyed and a bit embarrassed at being caught humming.

"It's my kitchen, can't I sit here?" His words were slurred. He had obviously been drinking.

Kelly ignored him, finished her juice and rinsed out the glass in the sink.

"Did you have fun?" he asked. His tone conveyed no emotion. Kelly's giddy mood quickly evaporated. She was starting to get that uneasy feeling again.

"Yeah, I did." she answered quickly. "I'm going to bed now, goodnight."

She tried to hurry past him, but he reached out and grabbed her arm.

"You don't want to talk to me? You necked with that guy for almost half an hour in his car." he said, standing up slowly.

She yanked her arm away.

"You don't know what I was doing, leave me alone." she spat at him. She turned to go back to her room, but Derek leaped in front of her and blocked the hallway entrance with his body. She could smell the alcohol strongly on his breath.

"Derek, get out of the way. Please, I'm tired and I want to go to bed." Kelly said evenly, trying to control her temper. She was getting tired of this very quickly.

"Kiss me." he said.

Kelly recoiled. "What?"

"Kiss me. You kissed him. Kiss me." Derek said. He was starting to get angry.

"Get out of my way." she said slowly through gritted teeth.

Derek reached out and grabbed her by both shoulders moving in to forcefully kiss her.

Kelly exploded. With a cry of indignation, she shoved him away and swung her right fist out at him, catching him on the side of the jaw. He let her go, his hands flying to his face and she aimed a hard kick to his knee. He cursed loudly as he fell to his good knee, looking up at her in rage.

"You bitch." he seethed, starting to get up.

Kelly, frightened by his sudden attack, stepped backwards into her room and began to swing the door closed. Derek suddenly rushed her. She threw her body against the door, attempting to keep him out, but her one hundred and ten pounds were no match against Derek. He easily shoved the door open, sending Kelly sprawling backwards to the wood floor. He was on her in a second, tearing at the front of her blouse. She screamed for help, but he clapped one hand over her mouth muffling her cries.

Panicked, she bit down on the inside of his palm until she tasted blood. Derek roared in pain and jerked his injured hand away. Glaring menacingly back down at Kelly, he slapped her savagely across the face. She continued to fight him, but he was much stronger than she was and despite her frantic kicking, he managed to pull up her skirt to her thighs. She screamed desperately for her foster parents.

"Shut up, they're not home." he sneered at her. He undid his jeans.

The reality of her situation sinking in, Kelly's preservation instincts kicked in, and she thrashed violently, screaming and swinging her arms at him and trying to throw him off of her. Her knee caught his groin and he gasped in pain. She took advantage and rolled him off of her, clambering to her feet to get away. Derek recovered quickly though and lunged for her, grabbing hold of her legs and knocking her down. He quickly climbed on top of her and pinned her to the floor. This time, he grabbed a handful of her hair and yanked her head off the ground. He slammed the side of her head against the hard wood floor three times. Kelly let out a yelp of pain. She was dazed now. Her head was spinning, but she had to hang on. She weakly beat her fists against him, but they bounced off harmlessly. She vaguely felt him pull her skirt up again, tear her panties away and then there was a sharp pain between her legs. She screamed in agony. The terrible pain kept her miserably conscious for the next few minutes as she sobbed and thrashed weakly against him.

Suddenly, she felt his weight vanish. There was screaming. She opened her eyes. Through her dim vision, she saw Peter and Veronica in the room. Peter had yanked Derek off of her and had thrown him against the wall. He was hollering at him, hitting him.

"What the hell is wrong with you!" he shrieked. His voice was high and frightened.

Veronica was at Kelly's side in an instant, lifting her to a sitting position and pulling her skirt back down and her blouse closed. Kelly weakly leaned her head against Veronica's shoulder, unable to hold it up on her own. She felt a hot, sticky wetness on the side of her face.

"Look at me, Kelly. Look at me." Veronica said quickly, trying to keep the girl conscious.

Kelly coughed and retched suddenly. She threw herself away from Veronica before vomiting on the floor. She felt Veronica tie her hair back as she did. When there nothing left, she sank to the floor, whimpering pitifully. She felt arms wrap around her waist and passively allowed them to pull her to her feet, where she stood swaying, while her foster mother put an arm around her shoulder to steady her. She was led to her foster parent's bedroom, where Veronica laid her down gently on the bed. Kelly lay panting, sobbing loudly, her body going into shock. Veronica rushed to the restroom and grabbed a washcloth. She ran it in water and wrung it out before returning to Kelly's side and laying it on her forehead. The girl had an inch long gash above her left eyebrow and blood was trickling down her face and into her hair. She gently wiped Kelly's face, whispering softly to her and rubbing her arm. Kelly flinched and pulled away from her touch. Worried, Veronica went to the kitchen for some ice and wrapped the bloody washcloth around a few cubes, laying it back on Kelly's wound.

"Kelly? Can you hear me?" Veronica whispered. The sight of her beloved son assaulting the girl that had been a sister to him for over an year kept playing in her head and was making her sick. She hoped to God that Kelly was alright.

Peter entered the room, looking distraught. He had his hands pressed against his temples.

"Where's Derek?" Veronica asked him quickly

"I locked him in the closet." he answered her. "Jesus Christ, I can't believe this. Is she ok?" he asked shakily.

"I don't know." Veronica said, wiping her eyes.

Peter knelt by Kelly's face.

"Kelly? Can you say something to me?" he pleaded. He was alarmed by how pale she was. "Shit, I think she's in shock."

"We need to take her to the hospital, Peter."

"No. No hospital, she'll be ok." he snapped.

"Peter, look at her!" she yelled shrilly.

"I know, I know, but they'll put him in jail for years, we can't do that." he explained softly.

Veronica buried her face in her hands. She looked at Kelly. The girl's chest was heaving and her eyes were closed.

With a loud curse, Peter left the room. He could be heard moments later banging furniture around as he took his anger out on the living room wall. Veronica sat on the bed next to the unconscious girl for the next two hours, holding the cold compress to her head and stroking her hair.

Finally, Kelly's eyes fluttered open. A panicked look crossed her face and she scrambled out of the bed and stumbled into the bathroom. Violent retching sounds followed moments later.

Veronica walked cautiously into the restroom. Kelly was kneeling by the toilet, trembling, sweating and clutching the bowl with both hands. Her head had started bleeding again. She crouched next to her and put her arm around Kelly's shoulder. The girl jumped.

"It's ok, Kelly, relax, it's just me." she said quickly, her hands held up in surrender.

Kelly rested her forehead on the toilet, breathing hard. Her foster mother reached out and carefully pressed the washcloth she had brought with her to Kelly's bleeding forehead.

"Kelly, I'm so sorry, honey, I'm so, so, sorry." Veronica said through tears, gently stroking Kelly's hair. They stayed that way for several minutes.

"Why don't you take a hot shower, you'll feel better. How's your head?" she whispered soothingly after awhile.

Kelly jerked her head around to glare at her with an expression like that of a wounded animal.

"I'll go fix you some tea, alright? Then we'll figure out what to do, ok honey?" she kissed the top of Kelly's head and left her.

Once alone, Kelly shakily rose to her feet. She was careful not to look at herself in the mirror as she peeled off her clothes and stepped into the shower. She turned the water on as hot as she could stand and stood under the spray, still trembling. Had that really just happened? She didn't know what to feel. She was numb. Glancing at the drain, she noticed the water swirling around it was clouded pink. She tore her eyes away not wanting to know where the blood was coming from. She ached all over. Oh God, let it all be a nightmare, she prayed to herself. She made the sign of the cross for the first time in years. The tears came flooding back again and she stood in the shower holding herself, letting them mingle with the hot water.

Half an hour later, Kelly limped into the kitchen in her pajamas. Her foster parents were sitting at the table with mugs of tea in front of them. When they saw her, they rose and both came towards her. Peter put an arm around her shoulder and led her to a chair. Veronica went to fix her a cup of tea. Kelly sat, eyes lowered and hands folded in her lap. Veronica set a mug down in front of her. Kelly didn't seem to notice.

"Are you alright, honey?" her foster mother asked quietly.

Kelly nodded her head.

"Derek is a good boy, Kelly, you know he is. He was drunk. He didn't know what he was doing." she choked out, her voice breaking.

Kelly hitched a breath but didn't look at her. The tears were coming again. She fought them.

"Please, Kelly. Please don't tell anyone. He'll go to jail, he's so young, please don't ruin his life forever." she sobbed clutching Kelly's shoulders desperately.

This time Kelly did look up at her in surprise.

"Please, Kelly," Peter continued. "He has his whole life ahead of him, he can do so much good. We'll take care of you, anything you need, Kelly. Just please, please don't say anything about this." he begged.

Kelly stared in disbelief at her distraught foster parents, completely speechless. She couldn't believe what she was hearing.

Then all of a sudden she could.

Of course, she thought bitterly, that's the way it would always be.

He was their son and she was just a foster kid.


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

Los Angeles, California

September 2nd, 1970

Kelly never told anyone about what had happened in the Brandon's house. Of course, she could no longer stay there and the Brandon's had requested that she be placed elsewhere. Derek was sent upstate to stay with some relatives for the remainder of Kelly's stay. It took less than two weeks to get her removed. They had been grateful for her discretion and offered her five hundred dollars in cash. Kelly had been furious and at first refused to accept it, but Veronica insisted, and finally, deciding that they at least owed her that much, she took it. Besides, it's not like I have any dignity left to preserve, she had thought to herself with disgust. Five hundred dollars tucked in her pocket, she walked out the door and out of their lives.

She had been placed with another family in San Diego. The Johnson's were an older couple and were good to her, but it seemed to have no effect on Kelly. She kept to herself and avoided them as much as she could. Before her rape, she had finally been happy and had everything going for her. She had actually thought that the Brandon's home would be the last home she would ever be placed in. Bitterly, she berated herself for ever thinking that things would work out in her favor. She was withdrawn, angry and depressed, and having no one to help her or knowing how else to deal with the pain, she became rebellious and destructive. She had started at a different high school in the middle of the year. At sixteen now, Kelly was becoming more beautiful every day. Boys flocked to her but she blew them off. She had no desire for friends. She got a part time job at a bookstore, and again tried out for the track and gymnastic teams, looking for some sort of normalcy and consistency in her life. It wasn't enough, though. Her grades plummeted, she skipped school, got into fights, and was constantly getting into trouble. Soon, her failing grades cost her her spot on the track team. Gymnastics soon followed. With nothing else to work for, she used her new found free time to get into even more trouble. Kelly had been picked up by the police several times for being out past curfew, trespassing, and vandalizing property. The last time she was picked up, she had been fined and assigned thirty hours of community service. The Johnson's, though they truly felt for Kelly's situation and wanted to help her, found that they couldn't handle her anymore and had her removed from their home after less than two months. By this time, Kelly was far past the point of caring.

With the "difficult child" label still hanging over her head and her police record, the agency did their best to place her with someone who specialized in discipline. That someone was ex-Army Sergeant Jacob Bradford and his wife Norma. Thinking Kelly just needed a firm hand, he immediately set about the task of shaping her up by imposing strict rules and forcing her to earn everything through good behavior. She was given a long list of chores to do each day and lived the life of an army recruit. Sergeant Bradford never had a nice thing to say, yelled constantly, pushed Kelly around and constantly criticized her. She had no privacy as he searched her and her room daily for drugs or alcohol. A heavy gambler, he often stole from Kelly to support his habit. She quickly learned not to complain. He wasn't afraid to use brute force to keep her in line and often imposed physical punishments such as pushups or long grueling runs. He reminded Kelly so much of James Hanover, it made her nauseous just looking at him.

She was no longer a little girl however, and his punishments did not sit well with the troubled teen. Instead of improving her behavior, it made it worse. His demanding rules made her want to lash out even more. She hated Sergeant Bradford and did everything she could to defy him.

School and work were the only times she didn't have to deal with the tension and stress of her home life. She took her job seriously, since money would be the only thing to set her free when she turned eighteen. School was an entirely different matter. During a normal school day, she was too busy enjoying not being at home to bother with petty things like paying attention in class or doing her school work. After receiving a sound beating for failing grades the first grading period, she had adjusted her attitude slightly and instead did only enough to pass each class with a D.

She sat in her history class in a rare moment of working on her assignment. It was a project on the American presidents, which she found mildly interesting.

Her teacher came over to her desk to check to see if she was working. She knew Kelly was a bright girl and wished she'd try harder. To her student's annoyance, she watched over her shoulder, impressed that Kelly was working. She frowned as she spotted a glaring mistake.

"Kelly, you forgot Arthur." she said examing the girl's work.

Kelly looked up, annoyed.

"I did?" she asked, scanning her chart.

Her teacher nodded at her.

Kelly suddenly spotted her mistake and frowned.

"Also, Taft. Kelly, you had your book right in front of you, it's not like you had to memorize them. You need to pay closer attention." the teacher scolded gently.

"Well, they didn't do anything important anyway. Who's gonna know? I hadn't even heard of either one of them before today. No one will miss them." Kelly answered back. She had no intention of going back to fix her mistakes. Two missing presidents out of thirty seven wasn't enough to fail her.

Hoping to encourage her to go back and fill in the missing presidents the teacher tried to impress her.

"I would have known. I knew all of the presidents by memory back when I was your age."

Kelly scowled.

"Well, there couldn't have been more than four or five of them." she shot back.

The class erupted in laughter. Kelly suddenly felt bad. She was being so disrespectful. Had she really said that out loud?

She started to apologize but was cut off.

"Office. Now." the teacher said quietly pointing to the door.

Kelly sighed and walked out of the room. She headed towards the office, but changed her mind once it came into view. This was the third time this week she'd been sent to the office. If someone called home again, she would probably get roughed up after school. And today was Friday. Sarge would certainly take into account that she had the entire weekend for her bruises to heal. Forget that, she was out of here. Kelly turned on her heels and headed towards one of the side doors that led into the parking lot. She passed a male teacher as she was leaving.

"Where are you going, young lady?" he questioned her as she passed.

She stopped in her tracks and quickly putting an urgent expression on her face, she turned to face him.

"I have to go home." she told him, her eyes darting around nervously as if she was guarding a big secret.

"Home? Where's your pass?" he pressed.

Thinking quickly, she went on. "I don't have one, I was in gym. It's, um -" she looked around embarrassed and motioned for him to lean closer. He did, intrigued as to what she was so jumpy about.

"It's girl problems, sir" she whispered in his ear

He jumped back as if she had just burned him with a hot iron.

"Ok, carry on." he said quickly, blushing and looking awkward. He walked off down the hallway.

Kelly grinned mischievously and continued on her way. That was way too easy. Where was the challenge anymore?

She couldn't go straight home, because it was only two, so she walked towards a little park about a mile and a half from where she lived. As she got closer, she noticed a woman with two young children playing by the swings and a good looking young man with long brown hair wearing a leather jacket sitting at one of the picnic tables by himself, smoking a cigarette. Not wanting to talk to anyone, she decided to keep walking. He looked up as she passed.

"Hey, shouldn't you be in school?" he called out to her as she walked by him.

She stopped. "Shouldn't you?" she retorted.

He laughed and motioned for her to sit with him. She looked at him warily. The woman with her kids was nearby. She doubted he would try anything. So, having time to kill, she shrugged and walked back over to him.

"Hi, I'm Bobby." the young man greeted her, sticking out his hand.

"Kelly." she greeted back, shaking his offered hand.

"Why are you ditching school, Kelly?" he asked as she took her seat.

She shrugged at him. "I got bored." she answered simply.

He laughed at her blunt answer.

"Why are you ditching school?" she asked him back.

"I'm done with school." he answered, flicking the end of his cigarette against the table. Kelly suddenly realized that it wasn't a cigarette he was smoking.

"Yeah?" Kelly said back, raising her eyebrows. "When did you graduate?"

He laughed again.

"I said I was done with school, I didn't say I graduated" Bobby said with a grin.

Kelly caught his drift.

The two talked for about an hour, until Kelly decided she should be heading home.

"I'll walk you." Bobby offered.

Kelly got up and slung her school bag over her shoulder.

"No thanks, I'll be fine." she politely declined. She liked him, but she didn't trust anybody nowadays.

He shrugged. "Maybe I'll meet you back here, sometime?"

She had already started walking away, but decided to acknowledge his question.

"Yeah, maybe you will." she said over her shoulder with a smile.

She met him a few more times over the next couple of weeks. Deciding that Bobby's interest in her was purely platonic, she gradually became at ease in his presence. One afternoon, as she left the park, he asked,

"Hey, what do you do for fun?"

Kelly shrugged thoughtfully. "I guess I don't have too much fun. My fo-" she caught herself. "My dad is pretty strict."

"Sneak out tonight. Meet me here around one in the morning." he said grinning mysteriously.

Kelly hesitated. That sounded like a bad idea.

He picked up on her hesitation. "Come on, I'll bring some friends of mine. We'll have some fun." he pleaded, still smiling.

Kelly studied his face. He seemed to be hiding nothing.

"Ok." she agreed nodding her head slowly.

That night, after the sergeant and his wife were asleep, Kelly picked the lock to her door and quietly exited the house. Sergeant Bradford had begun locking her in at night, in a misguided attempt to keep her inside and out of trouble after she had been picked up for being out past curfew after she had snuck out one night. He had been furious at her, yelling and screaming while she stood looking bored. He then quickly beat some interest into her. The next day he had fitted her door with a lock. Kelly had simply learned to pick the lock with a hairpin. She had gotten so good at it that it took her almost less time to pick the lock than it took him to lock it.

Purposely choosing to wear dark clothing, she slipped on a dark blue sweater and walked the mile and a half to the park. As she neared it, she stopped and watched. There was a small group of people sitting at one of the picnic tables. Bobby was amongst them and she was relived to see that some of his friends were female. They all looked a few years older than her. Deciding it was safe, she shoved her hands in her pockets and joined them.

"Hey, Kelly" Bobby greeted her looking up. "Everyone, this is Kelly"

Everyone waved and said their hellos.

Bobby went on, introducing them.

"This is Mikey." he said pointing to a well built young man in his early twenties with shaggy brown hair. Mikey nodded at her.

"This is Carmen." Carmen was a Hispanic girl, about nineteen or twenty. She smiled pleasantly at Kelly.

"I'm Rick," a tall thin guy with fine blonde hair and a goatee said, rising up before Bobby could introduce him. He shook her hand.

"And this is Sam." he said finally gesturing to a girl with long dark hair sitting to his right. Kelly assumed that it was short for Samantha and nodded her head at her. Sam scowled and looked away. From the way she was sitting next to Bobby, Kelly reasoned that she liked him and felt threatened by their friendship. Or maybe she just wasn't as friendly as the rest of them. Kelly decided not to take it personally.

Introductions out of the way, the group turned to Rick.

"Ok, so this guy I used to work with, his neighbor just got an awesome new Charger." he explained pacing in front of everyone.

"So I go up to him and tell him what a sweet ride it is, and the bastard tells me to stay away from him and his car." He paused for the negative reaction of the group. "So, I say, we need to teach him a lesson."

"You gonna trash a Charger, man? That's sacreligious!" Mikey exclaimed.

"Naw, we're not gonna trash it, just give him a scare. We're gonna borrow it for a few days." he said with a wicked grin on his face. "He called me a bum, man! Right to my face!" he added in a hurt tone looking overdramatically slighted.

The group, minus Kelly, whooped excitedly. Kelly sat quietly. She had never done anything like this before. This could really get her into trouble. But at the same time, it was kind of thrilling. She pushed aside her doubt, and allowed herself to get caught up in the excitement.

The group piled into Mikey's tan and white station wagon and drove to the house that Rick had told them about. They parked and let the car idle. The Charger was in the driveway, covered by a drop cloth.

"You ready Bob?" Rick said as he handed him a black knit cap.

"Yeah, man. Where do you want me to meet you." he said.

"Back at my place." Rick whispered back.

Bobby got out of the car and motioned Kelly to follow him.

"You said you wanted to have some fun, right?" he said grinning.

Kelly hesitated, then followed him out of the car. Sam glared at her as she did. The station wagon drove off leaving them alone in the dark.

Bobby took Kelly's hand and led her to the car. He pulled the drop cloth off and then stood back to admire the car's beauty. He whistled appreciatively.

"How are you going to get in it" Kelly asked him. She was starting to get nervous and looked over her shoulder at every noise she heard.

"Just watch." he said with a knowing smile.

Kelly watched, fascinated, as he pulled a wire hanger out from his jacket and jimmied the lock open. It took him a mere five minutes. The lock opened with a click and he shot Kelly a look of triumph before he opened the door.

"Get in." he whispered.

Kelly obediently got into the passengers side and looked expectantly at Bobby. He rubbed his hands together and bent over to reach underneath the dashboard. With a grunt, he removed the bottom panel and handed it to Kelly. She took it dumbly and sat watching. She jumped as the engine suddenly roared to life. Bobby laughed triumphantly. Kelly couldn't help herself and she grinned broadly at him.

They both turned as a light went on inside the house and the door flew open revealing an angry man in a red bathrobe. He raised his hands in the air and started screaming as he ran towards them.

"Time to go" Bobby said, shifting the car in reverse and peeling out of the driveway, tire squealing. He swung the Charger around and shifted again. This time he floored it, the powerful engine roaring as they sped away. The two teens watched in the rearview mirror as the car's owner ran out into the street, hopelessly giving chase.

Bobby turned hard onto the main street and slammed on the accelerator, slamming Kelly backwards in her seat as he took the car to its top speed.

Kelly felt so wildly exhilarated. She started to laugh and found she couldn't stop. Bobby turned to her and burst into laughter as well. They rolled open the windows and with the wind blasting in their faces, they took turns letting out loud whoops of joy as they raced down the street in the stolen car.

Kelly had never had this much fun in her life.


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

August 3, 1971

Kelly started hanging out with her new friends more and more. She learned a great deal from them, especially Bobby. Bobby taught her how to hotwire a car, maneuver a car like a stunt driver, and shoot a gun. She picked up these skills quickly and seemed to be an unusually gifted criminal. She drove like a maniac. Her lock picking skills opened many doors to her new friends, both figuratively and literally. She could talk her way out of nearly any situation and her sweet innocent looks set up many an unsuspecting victim to be scammed, or have their pockets emptied by her nimble fingers. A lifetime of being on constant guard from abuse taught her how to read people like a book and she knew exactly when to push and when to back away from a target. She became an indispensable member of the gang. The groups' night time activities ranged from stealing cars and robbing homes to breaking windows and destroying property. During the day, they hung out at the local mall, shoplifting and breaking into cars or scamming people out of their money with rigged card tricks. When they weren't out causing trouble, they hung out in Mikey's basement smoking pot, drinking and planning their next unlawful venture. Kelly was enjoying herself. It felt good to cause someone else pain for once and she had long since become addicted to the thrill of breaking the law. But most of all, she felt needed.

While her social life was improving, her life at home was getting more and more difficult. Sergeant Bradford had suspected that the girl had been sneaking out at night through her window and decided to confront her during dinner.

"Where are you going at night, girl!" he boomed at her out of nowhere as they ate. He was not a subtle man.

"Nowhere, sir." she answered innocently.

"Bullshit." he shot back. "Where are you going? Your window looks funny to me, like you've been messing with it. "

"I'm not going anywhere, sir, you lock the door at night." she continued still playing dumb. If her window looked funny it was because she had been messing with it. Months ago. Before she had learned to pick the lock.

Bradford didn't buy it.

"I'm going to ask you one more time. Where are you going at night." he demanded.

Kelly sighed. He had to be bluffing. If he had proof he would have showed her by now.

"To sleep. In my bed. Because, I can't get out of my room. Because, you lock the door at night. Sir." she answered defiantly.

The sergeant glared at her and suddenly flipped his glass in her direction, splashing her face with the cold water and soaking the front of her shirt.

Caught off guard, she pushed backwards in her chair and shot the sergeant a furious look.

"Oh, Jake. That was uncalled for." Norma Bradford scolded as she stood up to grab a towel.

"Don't talk back to me, girl." he growled at Kelly. She was lying to him and he knew it, but he had to catch her to prove it.

Norma handed Kelly a dish towel and gave her a sympathetic look. Kelly murmured her thanks and wiped her face. She glared at the sergeant but said nothing.

While they stared each other down, Norma spoke.

"If she was getting out at night, don't you think you would have caught her by now?" she said trying to placate her husband. It made her sick the way her husband treated the girl. She thought he was needlessly cruel and much too hard on her. She liked Kelly, despite all the trouble she got into and did what she could to help her out. The poor girl needed love, kindness, and security. Not a drill sergeant.

Kelly smirked victoriously while Bradford turned to give his wife a look.

"Fine." he said, and went on with his dinner.

Kelly gave Norma a grateful little smile. She didn't mind her so much. It was her husband who was an asshole. Unfortunately, his word ruled around this household.

The older woman winked at her.

Once dinner was finished, Kelly cleared the table. Doing the dishes every night was one of the many things on her list of daily chores.

She kept an eye on the clock. It was 8:30. In a little over four hours she was going to meet Bobby at the racing track. He had taught her everything he knew about breaking into and hotwiring cars. The student soon became the master and Kelly had taken over his usual job of hotwiring. They had taken to racing stolen cars, a little competition they had come up with to see who could get away with stealing the more expensive vehicle. The whole gang enjoyed their little feud and was anxious to see what the two would come up with tonight. Kelly had spied a nice BMW as she was roaming the neighborhood after ditching school one day. She decided that would be her next target.

After cleaning up, she went to her room to wait. Around 10:45, Sergeant Bradford came to lock her in. He eyed her warily as she lay in bed with an open book.

"Did you get paid yesterday?" he asked her gruffly. He needed a quick buck to pay back a poker debt and his foster kid was an easy source of extra income.

"No, sir." Kelly lied.

He looked at her doubtfully and walked to her dresser. He began rummaging through the contents, tossing her things to the side carelessly. Kelly watched him without interest. Her money had found a new hiding place in Norma Bradford's bank.

When he couldn't find what he was searching for, he looked up angrily. "I know you got paid. Where is it?"

"I won't have any money until the end of the month."

She wasn't looking at him as she answered his questions and this infuriated him. He crossed her little room in three steps and grabbed her by the arm. Kelly gasped in surprise as he yanked her off of her bed and threw her to the floor.

"Where is it?" he shouted at her.

Kelly quickly got to her feet, her temper flaring. She was scared and her fear masked itself as anger.

"I said I don't have it yet!" she yelled back angrily.

He cursed at her and backhanded her hard. Unwilling to give the sergeant the satisfaction of knowing he had hurt her, Kelly hardly reacted.

"I don't have any money. Sir." she said slowly, through clenched teeth.

"Don't lie to me, girl!" he yelled. He grabbed her by the throat with both hands and shoved her against the bedroom wall. She was lying and he knew it.

Kelly didn't make a sound as her back hit the wall. She knew quite well how this game worked. He was trying to scare her into submission, but she refused to show her fear. Fear made her appear weak and weakness was easily exploited.

Bradford's face was twisted in an expression of rage. "God help me, if you don't tell me where you're hiding th-"

His threat was cut off as their confrontation was interrupted by his wife's voice.

"Kelly?"

The sergeant released his hold on her and stepped back. Rubbing her throat, Kelly turned and looked towards the open door as Mrs. Bradford entered the room.

"Oh, Jake. I wanted to talk to her for a minute. Are you two busy?" she asked, feigning surprise at seeing her husband in Kelly's room. She had heard him yelling at Kelly from the kitchen and had been hurrying down the hallway to her rescue when his loud slap echoed through the room. She appeared to have arrived in time to save the girl from further injury.

"No. Just came to lock the door." he said in an agitated voice. This would have to wait until tomorrow. Giving Kelly an ominous glare, he walked out of the room, leaving them alone.

Kelly exhaled slowly in relief and tried to relax her tense muscles. Her stomach was upset. Though she wouldn't let on, Sergeant Bradford always had that effect on her.

Norma watched him go and then turned to her foster daughter.

"Are you alright? Did he hurt you?" she asked with concern, gently touching the red mark on the girl's face. It would be a bruise tomorrow.

Kelly pulled away from her touch. "No, I'm fine." she said quickly, embarrassed at having a witness to her abuse.

"What did he want?" Norma pressed.

Kelly looked at her and shrugged her shoulders. "Money."

Norma frowned. "I'm so sorry, Kelly. He won't ever know where it is. You're money's safe, don't worry, I won't ever tell him." she whispered.

"Thank you." Kelly said with a grateful smile.

Norma opened her mouth to say something, but stopped when she saw Kelly's face darken. Turning, she saw that her husband had appeared in the doorway.

"Are you done?" he asked his wife wearily.

She sighed and nodded.

"Yes, we're done." She reached out and gave Kelly a warm hug. "Goodnight, sweetheart."

"Goodnight." Kelly whispered back. Norma walked out the door and took her husband's arm, hoping to draw him away and keep the girl safe for the night.

Bradford, having already decided to try again tomorrow night, let himself be pulled away. He glared at Kelly as he shut the door. She grinned back at him.

"Goodnight." she said pleasantly.

He grunted in response and locked the door. Something told him she was up to something. He went outside and around the house to the corner where her window was. A lawn chair was leaning up against the wall where he left it earlier. He propped it up and sat down to wait. When she snuck out she would walk right past him. Tonight was the night.

At midnight, Kelly closed the book she had been reading and went to the door. Kneeling beside it, she picked the lock and opened it. She crept out and listened carefully. Not a sound. Carefully, she slipped out and closed her door, locking it behind her again. She tiptoed through the house and walked through the front door. Unaware that the sergeant was waiting for her by her window, she turned and walked the opposite direction to the house with the BMW in the driveway.

Unaware that Kelly had just walked out the front door, Sergeant Bradford sat watching the window intently.

Kelly strolled casually to the neighborhood she had cased earlier that week. It was muggy outside and felt like it was going to rain. Hopefully, the rain would have the decency to wait until after their race. They never raced in wet conditions and she had been looking forward too much to this to have it canceled. She spotted the car in the driveway and headed towards it. She knelt by the car and looked at the house. It was completely dark. A quick look around her surroundings revealed that she was safe from any prying eyes. Satisfied, she pulled a piece of wire from her pocket and opened the door. Working quickly, she jumped in the car, yanked the panel off from under the dash, crossed the correct wires and grinned happily as the engine roared to life. She backed out and drove to the meeting place her and the gang had decided on the day before. She was dismayed to see that the car had less than a quarter tank of gas. Hopefully that would be enough. She parked next to Mikey's station wagon. Her friends greeted her as she got out of the car. Bobby was nowhere in sight.

"Hey, nice ride, Garrett." Rick commented, obviously impressed.

"Thanks." she said grinning. "Bobby not here yet, huh?"

"No, not yet, he'll show though, he's been bragging all day about this car that he's going to bring." Carmen told her.

Kelly nodded and sat down next to Carmen to wait. There was more room by Sam, but Kelly had long ago given up on becoming her friend. Bobby and Sam had become a couple a few months back, and though he never looked at Kelly as anything more than a friend, Sam was still jealous of all the time he spent with her. Kelly had given up trying to convince her otherwise and preferred to keep her distance. She looked around and noticed the front of Mikey's station wagon had been smashed in. Only one headlight was working.

"Hey, what happened to the wagon?" she asked pointing at the damaged fender.

Mikey frowned. "Aw, my sister just got her license and she backed into it like an idiot."

Kelly grinned at him. "Going sixty five?"

"Might as well have been. When she hit it she freaked and slammed on the accelerator instead of the brake. My poor wagon." he lamented.

Kelly was about to make another joke when Sam interrupted them.

"Hey, there he is." she announced, pointing off into the distance.

A beautiful bright red Porsche rolled into sight. The group gasped in amazement and began to cheer and holler. Kelly smiled and shook her head. Damn.

"Where in God's name did you find that?" Mikey said running up to the car's window as Bobby parked.

"That's my little secret." he answered with a wink towards Kelly. "Wouldn't want Go-Go Garrett here to steal my thunder."

Kelly grinned at him. "Cheater." she accused.

They laughed.

"It's no excuse, of course." she said pleasantly. "I'll still beat you. You'll just look good losing."

The gang hooted and hollered while Bobby grinned at her. She was a damn good driver. He had taught her himself. They had been driving around for mere weeks before he realized that he had started picking up tips from her.

"Let's do this, then." he said, stepping back into the car.

"Bobby" Rick called out.

Bobby stuck his head out the window.

"Yeah?"

"You wreck this car and I will kill you, man." Rick said, no trace of a smile on his face. Rick loved sports cars.

Bobby laughed and pulled his head back in.

Kelly and Bobby positioned their cars at the starting line. The track was simple enough. Down this little road, back onto the main highway, and down another country road back to the finish. It would take them less than twenty five minutes.

Carmen stood in between the two idling cars.

"Ready!" she shouted.

Kelly and Bobby gripped their steering wheels.

"Set!"

They both gunned their engines.

"Go!" She dropped her hands and the two cars tore out of the little field sending up a cloud of dust while Carmen, Sam, Rick and Mikey cheered. They had all bet money on Kelly. Not that she would win, but by how far ahead she would beat him. Bobby didn't need to know that, though.

Kelly jammed the accelerator down, enjoying the familiar rush of adrenaline as she pulled the car to eighty miles an hour. Bobby was slightly ahead of her and had a faster car. But she was by far the better driver.

Neither of them gained any distance on each other as they pulled onto the main highway. Now with more room, Bobby began to pull ahead. Kelly wasn't worried though, the country road was full of twists and turns and she would gain her ground there. They flew by, weaving in and out of the light traffic, blaring their horns at anyone who had the misfortune at being on the road at the same time as them.

Something suddenly caught Kelly's eye. Red and blue lights were flashing behind her. Seconds later she heard a siren wail and the police car came into view. She frowned. Oh well, let them try to out run her. She pulled her car to ninety five and then a hundred miles per hour. A few minutes later, her heart jumped up into her throat as she looked up and saw that the one police car had become five.

The Porsche.

It had to be the Porsche. The owner must have reported it missing already and being such an expensive and highly noticeable car, they had been on the look out for it.

And now, here she was right alongside it going over a hundred miles an hour. If she got caught it would take all the luck in the world to get out of this. She just wouldn't get caught, she decided.

The high speed chase continued for another few minutes before Kelly saw Bobby slow down and stop. He was giving up, she realized with anguish. Not her, though. She had to get away. Being caught and taken home to the Sarge was most definitely not an option. Kelly much preferred to break her own neck running from the police. She kept on driving, hoping they wouldn't care about her now that the Porsche had been recovered.

She couldn't have been more wrong. Three cars kept after her.

She groaned as she looked at her tank gauge. She was running out of gas.

The exit to the country road was looming ahead of her. She couldn't slow down so she took it going over a hundred. The car bounced and swerved in protest and she lost control for a terrifying second. Back in control once more, she slowed a bit and expertly navigated the curvy road ahead of her. As she neared the finish line, she laid on the horn to warn her friends. Not realizing what she was doing, they stood on the station wagon waving their jackets and cheering as she passed by. When she didn't stop they looked at other in confusion. Until they heard the sirens. They quickly scrambled into the station wagon and hid. Seconds later the herd of police cars flew past them, their only focus on Kelly. The station wagon followed at a safe distance.

Kelly kept driving, she needed to figure out something. Fast. She was running out of ideas.

And gas.

The car started to slow down, and Kelly panicked.

"Oh, no, come on! Damn it! No, no, no!" she wailed. But that was it. She coasted to a stop.

The sirens came within earshot a few seconds later. Thinking quickly, she threw open the drivers side door, undid her seatbelt and slid into the passengers seat. She buckled up and waited. Within twenty seconds, there were two officers, guns drawn, outside the car. They looked through the open door.

"He jumped out and ran that way! He has a gun!" Kelly yelled, pointing frantically.

One of the officers took off in the direction she pointed. She saw four more officers join him from the other cars.

The remaining policeman opened her door.

"What happened, miss." he asked her. He was very young and probably not experienced. This might work.

Kelly put on fake tears and launched into an act that could have won her an Academy Award.

"I was driving home, and when I stopped at a light, there was this Porsche next to me. And this guy, he had a gun, he jumped out. And he had a gun! He made me open the door and then he pushed me to the passengers side and told me if I tried anything he would kill me! He had a gun!" she cried hysterically.

The young policeman bought it. Hook. Line. And sinker.

"Just stay right here, miss, we'll find him." he said. He jogged back to the waiting police car to radio in this information.

Kelly watched him go. When he was busy leaning inside the car, she got out of the BMW and prepared to bolt. He looked up suddenly at her and she changed her mind. He motioned for her to come to him. Moaning, she jogged over.

"What did he look like, sweetheart?" the officer said urgently.

"He was tall, with a black jacket on. His hair was black" she paused as if trying to remember. "Or maybe it was brown. He had a gun!" she added for good measure.

She listened as the officer radioed the information to the rest of his squad. She was getting nervous. This would buy her time but not that much, she needed to get away. The policeman led her back to the BMW and instructed her to sit down and take deep breaths. She did as she was told.

Another cruiser pulled up behind the first. An angry looking cop got out of the car and stormed over to them, glaring daggers at Kelly.

"Hold her there!" he barked to the young gullible officer beside her.

The young man looked at Kelly, obviously confused.

"She lied to you!" the older officer shouted.

Oh, Shit. Kelly felt her stomach flip. Bobby must have talked, she realized. She dashed off, pushing past the gullible offer, headed to the woods, the police shouting after her.

She had made it maybe thirty yards when she heard the loud retort of gun fire.

"Stop!" someone shouted at her.

She kept running.

Another shot rang out, this one hitting a tree right in front of her. She skidded to a stop and held her hands up in surrender as she slowly turned around, breathing heavily.

The gullible officer walked up to her, his gun drawn, and a furious, humiliated expression on his face.

"Get down on the ground. Right now." he said through his teeth.

Kelly obeyed. He grabbed her arms, roughly pulled them behind her back and cuffed her wrists together before dragging her to her feet.

"Oh, you had me going didn't you. I'm going to be the butt of every joke in the entire precint for the rest of the year because of you." he muttered to her as he dragged her back to the police car.

Kelly wisely kept her mouth shut.

"Give me your phone number." another officer demanded as she was pushed inside a patrol car.

She hesitated and tried to come up with a different number, but she couldn't think straight.

"Now!" he yelled at her, slamming his hand on the roof of the car and making her jump.

She grudgingly gave it, and the officer stalked off to call.

The gullible officer glared at her and pulled out a notepad.

"What's your name." he growled at her.

She thought about lying, but didn't want to take the chance if Bobby had already told them. It was time to think defensively.

"Kelly Garrett." she whispered. She was in so much trouble. There was no way she could foresee getting out of this.

"How old are you." he snapped at her.

"Seventeen." she answered. She mentally went over all the crimes she had committed in the past hour. Grand theft auto, reckless driving, failure to pull over, lying to an officer, giving false information., resisting arrest. Yup, she was done for. She already had a record. She wondered if she would go to jail. She suddenly became very, very scared.

"And just what the hell were you doing?" he said looking up at her, his eyes narrowed.

"Racing." she said with a shrug.

The policeman looked like he wanted to murder her.

"Racing?" he repeated with disgust.

She nodded.

He muttered curses to himself and shut the door, locking her inside.

Kelly leaned her head back against the seat and sighed. She squirmed uncomfortably, the handcuffs were definitely not designed for comfort. This was not good. If Sarge didn't kill her immediately, it would only be because she was in jail. She wondered what was happening to Bobby.

She waited in the car for another ten minutes, alone with her thoughts, nearly sick with anticipation of what was going to happen to her.

Kelly looked up as the front door of the police car opened and the gullible officer got inside and started the car.

"Wait, rookie!" a voice that Kelly recognized as the older officer shouted out.

The young officer pushed open the door and waited for the older man to get within talking distance.

"Yeah, Captain?" he asked.

"Let me take her in, you go on home. You did a good job, rookie. Thanks for staying late to help us out."

The young officer grinned proudly and undid his seatbelt.

"Thanks, Captain!" he said enthusiastically. He got out and closed the door.

Kelly watched the two men talk through her window. She had no idea what was being said, but it appeared that she was going to have a change of drivers. How exciting. She leaned her forehead against the window and waited. At least she had gotten the young cop a compliment out of his superiors. Maybe he would live this down. It appeared she was good for something after all.

A few minutes later, the older officer climbed into the driver's seat and started the car. He positioned the rear view mirror to see Kelly. She noticed and nodded her head at him facetiously before turning to stare out of her window.

"Well, we're gonna take you to your boyfriend now, try to look a little happier." he said in an overly pleasant tone, still looking at Kelly through the rear view mirror.

Kelly leaned her head back against the seat as the officer pulled the car out onto the road and drove towards the freeway that she had exited earlier. She wondered how Bobby was holding up. At least they'd be taken down to the station together. For that she was glad, she hadn't been looking forward to going alone. As she ran different outcomes of the night through her head, her eye caught something strange in the side view mirror.

She sat up straight and felt a cold chill run down her spine.

In the side view mirror, tailing about five car lengths behind them, was a vehicle with one headlight.


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

Kelly quickly sat back in her seat. Mikey was following them. Why? What could they possibly be planning to do?

She looked up at the officer to see if he had noticed her distress. It appeared he hadn't. Kelly bit her bottom lip nervously and wondered if her friends were going to do anything stupid. She certainly hoped not.

They rode in silence for another fifteen minutes until the freeway finally came into view. Kelly had been checking the side view mirror every few seconds hoping that it wasn't Mikey's station wagon that was following them. It was though, there was no doubt about it. His wagon was unmistakable. She didn't know exactly why, but she had a feeling something terrible was going to happen. She briefly toyed with the idea of warning the policeman about them and then decided against it. Maybe they just wanted to see if her and Bobby were ok, she reasoned without conviction.

The police car merged onto the freeway and drove for a few more miles. Kelly saw the flashing lights in the distance almost immediately. As they got closer she could make out Bobby's stolen Porsche and another police car both on the other side of the road. She was relieved when she also spotted Bobby. He was sitting on the ground next to the police car, hands cuffed behind his back just like her. Kelly watched as Mikey passed them and continued driving down the freeway. She had a feeling he would be back.

The police car swung around in the opposite direction to park behind the other cruiser. The older officer got out of the car and came around to Kelly's side of the backseat.

"Let's go girl." he said, as he opened the door and grabbed her arm. He led her over to where Bobby was sitting, and pushed down on her shoulders, indicating that she should sit down as well. Kelly obeyed.

"Ok Bonnie and Clyde, just stay right there, be quiet, and don't move." he said to them, waving his gun threateningly. He walked off to talk to the other two policemen who were standing nearby.

"Damn, I was hoping you'd get away." Bobby said without looking at her as soon as the officer was out of earshot.

"Yeah, I was kind of hoping that too." Kelly answered dryly. She didn't look at him either.

"How'd they catch you?" he asked her.

Kelly ignored his question, not wanting to go through the trouble of explaining herself.

"Mikey followed me here. Do you know why?" she asked instead.

Bobby grinned.

"Did he? I knew they'd pull through. Well then, don't worry, Garrett, help should be on the way soon."

Kelly finally turned to look at him,

"What are they planning to do, Bobby?" Kelly whispered urgently.

"I don't know, but they've gotten out of worse scrapes before. They'll figure out something." he said casually.

His casual tone infuriated Kelly.

"What do they plan to do, Bobby?! Kill the cops to bust us out?" she shot at him.

He looked thoughtful for a moment.

"Mikey keeps a few guns in his wagon. They won't kill anyone if they don't have to."

Kelly paled. "What?! They can't do that, they'll get all of us killed. Are you crazy?"

Bobby whirled on her angrily.

"Do you want to go to jail then, Kelly? Because that's where we're going if they take us in. For a real long time. And I don't know about you, but I don't want to spend the next ten years of my life in prison. So if that's what you want, then fine. Stay here. But I'm not going to jail."

Kelly glared at him and looked away. A cold uneasy feeling crept its way down her spine. She sat in silence wondering what was going to happen.

"There they are." Bobby whispered to her suddenly. "Just follow me if things get rough."

Kelly's eyes widened. She picked her head up and looked around for the station wagon. She spotted it pulling to a stop on the opposite side of the empty highway. The wagon parked and idled, with its lights off. If the three policemen noticed it, they hadn't given it much thought. Her heart started to beat faster.

"Jesus Christ, what are they going to do?" she whispered again in a panicky voice. She was starting to feel sick.

"Just follow my lead." Bobby answered shortly.

"They aren't going to hurt anyone are they?" she pressed. She had a feeling that she already knew the answer.

"Not if they don't have to." Bobby replied coldly.

Kelly was appalled at his ruthlessness.

"No! You never said we would have to hurt anyone. I don't want anyone to get hurt!" she whispered harshly, her voice shaky. She glanced towards the group of policemen that were standing a few yards away.

Bobby's foot shot out and kicked her hard in the shin.

"Don't you dare rat us out, Garrett. You're in this, whether you like it or not. You're one of us so don't try to go all noble all of a sudden. I'd hate to see you get hurt." he threatened angrily.

She kicked him back even harder in response to his threat, but kept her mouth shut as she sat staring at the station wagon across the road.

Kelly watched with growing dread as she saw Rick and Mikey get out of the wagon, black caps over their head, and each holding a gun. They walked around to stand behind the hood of the wagon. Rick raised his gun in the air and fired twice.

"Listen up!!" he shouted. "I want everyone to just freeze. Don't fucking move!"

The officers reacted instantly. Cursing loudly and shouting orders, they leaped for cover behind the car for protection and drew their guns. Kelly felt someone grab her by the back of her shirt and drag her around to the opposite side of the car where it was safe. Someone else had grabbed Bobby and the two lay side by side in the dirt behind the police car. Kelly rolled on her stomach, able to partly see what was going on from the gap between the ground and the bottom of the car.

"Hey, kid, just drop that gun. You're only making it worse for your friends." one of the cops shouted back to Rick.

"Just let them cross this little street here and I won't have to fire again." Rick shouted back, his gun trained on the cops.

Kelly lay paralyzed, in complete disbelief of what was happening. She should have told the cop that there was someone following them when she had the chance. Now it was too late, and they were all way in over their heads. This was much worse than anything she had ever done or seen her friends do. Kelly closed her eyes for a moment and hoped to God no one would be killed tonight.

"You got three seconds, man!" Mikey yelled.

"One!"

Kelly started panting. Oh, Jesus.

"Two!"

She felt someone kick her leg.

"Get ready." Bobby whispered. Kelly shook her head and stared at him in horror.

"Three!"

Kelly shut her eyes tight as the deafening gunfire boomed from both sides of the street.

"Get up! Now! It's our only chance!" Bobby screamed at her. She opened her eyes and saw him running off down the street to avoid crossing amongst the gunfire.

Kelly quickly scrambled to her feet and followed him, realizing with dread that she was making a terrible mistake.

"Hey! Stop! Don't make us shoot you too!" one of the cops shouted at them as he noticed them running.

Kelly turned around and slowed, unsure of what to do. She looked frantically between the cop and her friend.

"Don't you fuck this up, Kelly! Move, or I swear to God I'll kill you myself!" Bobby shouted furiously at her.

She hesitated for a split second and then followed him. The slight hesitation saved her life.

Kelly was several feet behind Bobby as the two dashed out into the middle of the freeway. There was a loud blast of a horn and a squeal of brakes.

Kelly whipped her head around and froze in wide eyed terror.

In their panicked rush, they had neglected to check if any cars were coming. There was no time to even react to the semi truck that was barreling towards them.

The front of the semi filled Kelly's line of sight and then suddenly banked hard to the left. Kelly screamed as she was thrown backwards by the gust of wind from the truck as it blew past, narrowly missing her. Unable to catch her balance with her hands behind her, she stumbled back and landed hard. It had all happened so very, very fast. Dazed, she sat up and frantically looked around.

The gun battle had stopped. Rick lay motionless on the ground. The station wagon was peeling away, and Sam was running towards her. And Bobby? She looked around for him.

Bobby was simply gone.

Confused, Kelly looked around some more. Where was he? He had been standing right next to her when the truck had almost hit them.

"Fuck!" she heard one of the officers scream. "Fuck, Fuck!"

The officer that had driven her rushed over to where she was sitting in the middle of the street and grabbed her by the back of the neck, roughly yanking her to her feet. He dragged her back to the police car and violently threw her against the door. Kelly bounced off the door, the small of her back ramming hard into the side view mirror, and crumpled to the ground, landing on her side. It should have hurt, but it didn't.

The cop kneeled down beside her and jammed the barrel of his gun against her temple.

"You move and I will blow your fucking brains out, do you understand me!? All I need is a reason!" he shrieked at her. His voice was shrill and high. Kelly was confused by his shaky behavior. She forced herself to slowly nod her head and felt the pressure of the gun barrel removed from her temple as the cop ran off towards the street. She raised her head off of the ground and scoured the area, still completely baffled as to why all of the cops looked so frantic. It was chaos.

Everyone was screaming now. Still confused, Kelly maneuvered herself into a sitting position. Her stomach gave a violent lurch when she saw her legs sprawled out in front of her.

Her jeans and shoes were flecked with blood.

Like a slap to the face, it finally dawned on her what had happened. Kelly sat motionless, a blank expression on her face. She raised her eyes and stared in disbelief at the spot where Bobby had been standing.

Sam was in the middle of the road now, screaming in anguished despair over the bloody smear on the road that had been Bobby. Kelly watched as one of the cops grabbed her around her waist and dragged her to where Kelly was sitting.

"Just calm the fuck down.!" he screamed. His face was white and he looked very shaken. He was sweating and trembling and cursing needlessly. He threw Sam down in the dirt next to Kelly, letting out a stream of curses as he did. She lay on the floor sobbing softly to herself. The cop kicked the tire of the police car. Then as an afterthought, he reached down and grabbed Kelly by the throat and angrily yanked her to her knees.

"You stupid fucking kid!" he screamed in her face. He raised his arm back to strike her, then changed his mind and flung her back to the ground. Kelly didn't even flinch. She was still staring off into the road in numb shock, trying to fully comprehend the events of the past five minutes.

"You see what happens?! Fuck!" he yelled again as he stormed off, his hands laced together over his head. He ran over to some bushes and retched loudly. When he had finished vomiting, he wiped his mouth and went over to join the older cop by Rick's side.

Kelly felt cold drops of water on her face and realized that it had begun to rain. She made no move to seek shelter from the downpour. The rain grew steadily harder until she was completely drenched and sitting in an inch of muddy water. She leaned her head back and listened to the steady rhythm of the water beating down on the metal exterior of the car. It was somehow comforting. A sharp contrast to her chaotic surroundings. She blocked out everything else going on around her and focused on the rain. She listened quietly for a few minutes until loud shouts snapped her out of her trance.

Kelly reluctantly opened her eyes and gazed down the road back at the truck, where the arguing was coming from. It had pulled to a stop about thirty yards down and one of the cops had run over to it. The driver was shouting at the cop. She looked away, the sight of the truck too much to bear. The older cop who had driven her here, was kneeling by Rick's side across the street. The shaken cop was standing by his side, hands still laced over his head. From the way the cops were acting, Rick was dead. Kelly was sure of it. She oddly felt no remorse. Though she knew what had happened, a part of her hadn't fully processed it yet and refused to believe it. In a few seconds, Bobby would pop up from wherever he had been hiding, Rick would sit up and everything would be alright again. She sat in silence and listened to the rain some more. Sam had been sobbing by her side and now she began to scream in agony again, a reminder of her presence. Kelly had forgotten she was there.

"You!" Sam suddenly shrieked in her ear.

Kelly turned her head to look at Sam. Her makeup was smeared around her eyes from the rain and she had a wild crazed look in her eyes.

"This is your fault! It should have been you!" she shrieked again.

She launched herself at Kelly and began frantically slapping and hitting her. With her hands cuffed behind her back, Kelly couldn't defend herself even if she had tried to. She didn't. Sam's attack knocked her over onto her side. Disoriented and confused, Kelly lay passively as Sam pelted her head and shoulders with her open palms.

"I wish it had been you! It should have been you!" she screamed hysterically over and over as she swung wildly at Kelly.

Taking notice of the fight, the shaken officer came storming back and furiously aimed a kick at Sam's side. She cried out in pain and rolled off of Kelly.

"I said calm the fuck down!" he yelled at her. She ignored him and lunged for Kelly again. He had to physically restrain her while he cuffed both of her hands behind her back and threw her inside the backseat of the police car.

Without a word, he grabbed Kelly's arm and pulled her out of the muddy water to her feet. He opened the passenger door and angrily shoved her inside. Her head slammed against the top of the doorframe, but she didn't seem to notice. The officer got into the driver's seat and pulled out into the highway. Kelly watched the stain on the road through the side view mirror until it disappeared from view. It had happened so fast. Too fast. There had been no time to react, it wasn't fair. She should be able to go back and fix it. But it was too late. Nothing could be done now. She suddenly felt like screaming. Screaming and screaming and never stopping. The wave of hysteria built up inside of her until she thought she was going to explode. Her knees started shaking. She closed her eyes tightly as she began to hyperventilate, desperately willing the sickening panicky feeling to go away. She focused everything she had on the steady, soothing sound of the rain drumming against the roof of the car If she could hold onto that, she would be ok. As long as she could hear the rain, then she would make it through the night. She listened intently for what felt like hours until gradually the intense panic subsided and she started to breathe normally again.

Relatively calm, she realized that her arms were tingling and numb. She took a deep breath and forced herself to unclench her fists and relax until she had feeling in her arms again. She suddenly realized that she was chilled. It was cold in the police car and she was soaking wet. Her wet hair was matted to her face with water and mud and her clothes clung to her. She shivered. Kelly felt drained all of a sudden and leaned her head against the window.

She chanced a glance at the policeman driving the car. He looked pale and was muttering curses to himself as he drove. He must have been right behind them and had seen everything. Sam was in the backseat, sobbing and wailing hysterically. Everything had turned out so much worse than she could have ever expected it to. And it all could have been so easily prevented. Kelly closed her eyes and wished she had had the courage to tell the cops about her friend's plan. This was all her fault.

Kelly spent the rest of the night being questioned extensively about the incident by several different people. She was obviously in shock and walked, obeyed orders, and answered questions in a daze, without fully comprehending what she was doing. Understandably, she received no sympathy from the police, who forcibly demanded responses from her. After she was done being interrogated, she was uncuffed and put in a cell. She barely remembered being questioned at all.

Between her and Sam's testimony, Kelly was found to not be connected with the shooting against the three police officers. The officers at the scene had also testified that she had been scared and seemed to have been forced into fleeing by her accomplice.

Her slight hesitation in following Bobby had saved her yet again.

Sam would not be so lucky. Kelly saw her for the last time as she was being led to her cell. They briefly made eye contact and then looked away from each other.

Cleared of the most severe charges, Kelly was left with the less serious crimes of stealing, reckless driving, and resisting arrest. With a hefty bail over her head, she was put in a cell to wait until someone came for her. She wondered if anyone ever would.

Thought it was still the early hours of the morning, she didn't sleep. She hadn't been allowed to change clothes, so she remained muddy, wet and shivering. If it bothered her, she didn't show it. She sat motionless on her bed, running through the events of the previous night and trying to wrap her mind around everything that had just happened. She stayed that way for hours. Kelly had yet to cry for Bobby or the horror of what she had just been through.

Around nine that morning, she was informed that she was being bailed out. She sighed. Sergeant Bradford would certainly kill her. She waited for the gut wrenching terror she usually felt when she knew she was going to be punished but it never came. She couldn't feel anything. Kelly stood and waited.

She didn't have to wait long. A female officer opened her cell door a few minutes later and led her out towards the lobby. Sergeant Bradford was waiting. He looked livid. His face was beet red and he stood with his hands balled into fists at his side, shaking with rage.

Kelly hadn't expected to be welcomed with open arms by him, but she was surprised when upon seeing her, the Sergeant lunged at her with raised fists. He was able to get in one good swing at her before some bystanders quickly stepped between them, shielding Kelly from his assault. His one punch connected solidly, hitting her right in the mouth and sending her sprawling to the floor. Kelly shut her eyes and braced herself for more.

"Don't you touch that girl!" someone shouted. There was the sound of a brief scuffle. Cautiously, Kelly chanced a glance up at her attacker.

Every officer in the lobby had immediately come to her rescue. It took three men to hold back her foster father, who was still trying to break free and finish what he had started.

"I'm going to fucking kill you! You wait till I get my hands on you. You're dead, girl!" he boomed at her, struggling against the men holding him, as he was dragged outside.

Kelly felt herself be pulled to her feet and she stood in stunned silence. Everyone else awkwardly went back to what they were doing before the Sergeants disruption. The policewoman gently took her arm and began to lead her back towards her cell.

"You ok?" she asked. She pulled out a handkerchief and held it out to Kelly.

Kelly furrowed her brow and gave her a puzzled look.

"You're bleeding. Here" she explained to her.

Kelly was still confused.

"Your lip." the woman explained patiently to her again.

Kelly reached up and touched her lip. So she was. Her fingertips came back stained with blood. She stood staring in wonder at her fingers.

The policewoman gave up and gently pressed the cloth to Kelly's mouth. Kelly finally understood and reached up to hold it there.

"He'll calm down later and then we'll let him take you home. Don't worry, he's your dad, he won't stay mad forever." the policewoman soothed as she walked Kelly down the hallway.

Kelly nodded mutely. That might be true. If he was really her father.

Once locked inside her cell, Kelly crawled into her bed and covered herself with the thin blanket. Her body was sore and achy from the rough treatment she had received the night before and her entire head throbbed where the Sergeant had hit her just minutes ago. She hugged her knees to her chest and closed her eyes. The tears that had been absent the entire night came forward now and she sobbed loudly, racking her body and drenching her pillow, overcome as the events of the previous night finally hit her all at once like a crashing wave.

The memories played back to her over and over in her head as she cried.

The truck driver had swerved to the left and had killed Bobby. If he had decided to swerve to the right, she would have been the one scattered over half a mile of freeway. She remembered what Sam had yelled at her last night. I wish it had been you. It should have been you.

She buried her face in her hands and wished it had.


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

August 8th, 1971

Kelly rode home in silence with Sergeant Bradford, not daring to make a sound. For her safety, he had not been allowed to bail her out that morning he had been dragged out of the police station for attacking her, so she had spent the past few days in jail. The days had gone by calmly enough but her nights were filled with horrific nightmares. Much to the annoyance of the other inhabitants of the jail, she woke up screaming several times a night. She hadn't had a good night's sleep since before the incident and she was passive, depressed and utterly demoralized. She had slowly come to terms with what had happened. It was far too painful to properly deal with though, so she dealt with it the only way she knew how. She blocked it out and refused to think about it. It was the only way to move on.

The first couple of days she had worried about what would happen to her when the Sergeant took her home. If it was anything close to what he had tried to do at the police station, it wouldn't be good for her. There'd be no witnesses to save her behind closed doors. At first, she had been relieved when he had been forced to cool off before she went home, but by the time he finally did come, she had nearly made herself sick with anticipation over what would happen. Waiting in anticipation was far worse a punishment than anything the Sergeant could do to her, she decided.

Bradford had come back for her in the morning, posting bail with the money Kelly had been saving the past few years. Norma must have thought this an acceptable occasion to withdraw Kelly's money for her. It had not been enough however, and he had had to dig into his own pocket for the rest. This infuriated him even more.

"You owe me three hundred and fifty dollars." he snarled at her as she got in the car. Those were the only words he spoke to her the entire trip home.

Kelly wondered why he had bailed her out at all, then decided that it wouldn't look good to the foster agency to let her rot in jail. Or, he had a better punishment in store. That made the most sense to her, anyway.

She sat anxiously in the passenger seat, glancing at the sergeant every few seconds, ready to dodge a blow.

It never came.

They pulled into the driveway and got out of the car. Kelly let him go ahead of her for fear he would attack her from behind.

As soon as she walked in the door, Norma rushed her and pulled her into a tight hug.

"Oh, Kelly, what were you thinking, you could have gotten yourself killed." she gushed, holding her close.

Kelly stood frozen, her hands at her side, unsure of what to say or do.

"Don't hug her, she got somebody else killed. She's a low life criminal, she needs to be taught a lesson." the sergeant barked at his wife as he slammed the front door closed.

Her arms still wrapped around Kelly, Norma picked up her head and locked eyes with her husband.

"You've been trying to teach her a lesson since she got here, isn't it clear that you're only making it worse?! Maybe if you didn't make her life a living hell, she wouldn't run off every night and get into trouble!"

Kelly stammered and tried to pull away. This was a hell of a time to bring this up. She appreciated Norma trying to defend her, but the lady needed to stop talking before she got her skinned alive.

"Why are you making excuses for her?!" Bradford shouted at his wife in outrage. "She's like this because people have been making excuses for her her whole damn life!"

Norma released Kelly, protectively stepping in front of her and stood glaring at her husband.

"She's like this because she's probably been mistreated her whole life by people like you! All the fights at school, the misbehavior, how can you not see it's all a cry for attention, for love? And all you do is beat her down. From the minute she walked through the door you've been nothing but cruel to her. You never even gave her a chance!" she accused.

Kelly stood helplessly behind Norma, amazed at the animosity with which she was defending her, yet desperately willing her to stop. The sergeant was far too angry to discuss this right now.

"A chance? She had plenty of chances! Face it, this girl is worthless, and you coddling her is only going to make it worse!" he yelled, throwing up his hands in frustration.

Kelly blinked. She had heard that many times before, but for some reason, she didn't feel like taking it today.

No, not today.

"I'm not worthless." she said quietly, stepping out from behind Mrs. Bradford.

Bradford stopped yelling at his wife and turned to face her, staring her down.

"What did you say to me, girl?" he asked softly, his tone daring her to repeat it.

Kelly started to lose her nerve, but swallowed and steeled herself.

"I said I'm not worthless." she repeated, her voice a little stronger.

"Honey, no one thinks you're worthless." Norma soothed, patting Kelly's shoulder.

Bradford laughed derisively.

"No. I do. You're a criminal. That's all you are. A worthless criminal. I've tried so hard to fix you, but you can't be fixed." he said, his voice dripping with hate. "You're defective, something's wrong with you. That's why nobody wants you." With each insult, he poked her in the chest with his big meaty finger, backing her up against the wall. "If I had been smarter I wouldn't have even wasted my time with you in the first place!"

Kelly felt her face flush with anger, as she pushed his hand away. She felt reckless. Out of control.

"If you had been smarter, maybe you could have kept me in my room at night, Sergeant!" she shouted back. Her last word had been sneered as sarcastically as possible, accented with a mock salute.

She went too far.

That was it. The sergeant's right hand shot back and came flying at her in a wide arc. Kelly dodged it, sidestepping quickly to the left. His hand crashed loudly on the wall behind her, putting a noticeable dent in it. She quickly backed away from him, prepared to defend herself.

"Jake, Stop! Enough!" Norma cried tersely, putting herself between them. " I thought you said I could handle this by myself. You promised me you wouldn't hurt her!"

He pushed past her and grabbed Kelly's arm before she could move away. This time he threw a punch, his fist striking her on her forearm, which she had quickly moved up to block her face. Kelly cried out as her arm went dead. She teetered backwards and quickly regained her balance, favoring her hurt arm protectively. Her eyes darted to the front door. The split second distraction was all the sergeant needed.

Enraged at his inability to hit her back talking mouth, he rushed at her and shoved her hard. She stumbled backwards and fell into an end table, striking her head on the corner and crashing to the ground with the table and all of its contents.

Kelly snapped.

The overwhelming stress of the past week had been far too much for her and she completely abandoned all rational thought. Untangling herself from the wreckage, she quickly climbed to her feet and stood glaring at him, her shoulders heaving and her eyes blazing murderously. She had been slapped around her whole life and she had always just taken the abuse. Been a victim. Not anymore. She'd be damned if she was going down this time without a fight.

With a cry of fury, she lunged forward and swung her fist at him, striking him on the side of the head. He bellowed in rage and Norma Bradford watched in horror as her husband and Kelly tore into each other, brawling like two wild animals.

Kelly had no chance, of course. He easily beat her to the ground. She fought back as viciously as she could, kicking, punching, screaming and clawing at his face. Bradford landed a hard punch to her cheekbone, his hand curled tightly into a fist intending to do as much damage as possible. The blow sent her reeling to the floor. He straddled her, pinning her to the floor, and wrapped one hand tightly around her throat, while Kelly coughed and struggled uselessly against him. Kelly now helpless, he rained cruel punches to her face and forearms, screaming unintelligible curses at her. Her blood stained his hands, her clothes, and the floor as he beat her savagely with his fists.

"Stop it, Jake, you're killing her!" his wife shrieked at him in panic. Jesus God, she had to do something.

Norma hopped on his back, still shrieking for him to stop and trying to pull him off of Kelly before he killed her. The sergeant released his grip on Kelly long enough to push his wife off of him. Kelly's breathing no longer being cut off by his crushing force, she desperately sucked air into her lungs and tried to crawl away.

"Jake, no! Look at what you're doing!" Norma uselessly tried to reason with him.

But her husband was too far gone in his fury to reason. Cursing loudly, he began sending brutal kick after kick to Kelly's midsection and every exposed part of her body. Barely conscious now, she curled into a ball and tried to protect herself as much as she could. She saw more of her own blood from her mouth and nose spatter on the floor in a red spray after every vicious kick as she screamed in agony.

She vaguely realized that he meant to kill her, and all of a sudden the thought seemed comforting and she accepted it gladly, closing her eyes. It would all be over soon. A painful death for a painful life.

Something made a sickening cracking noise.

There was no more pain now, just the dull thudding sounds of his heavy boot connecting mercilessly with her body. A hard kick to the side of her head sent Kelly spiraling into darkness while Norma screamed loudly in terror.


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21

August 20, 1971

Kelly lay in her hospital bed, flipping through a magazine with her good arm. She had been there nearly two weeks, since Sergeant Bradford had nearly beaten her to death. She still wasn't sure why she had so foolishly attacked him. Maybe she had wanted him to kill her, she wasn't sure. Either way she had deserved what she had gotten. She still wasn't clear on what had exactly happened between being knocked unconscious and waking up in the hospital a few days later. Norma Bradford may have saved her after all, she had no clue. Neither of them had been to see her.

And that was just fine with her.

She would be laid up for awhile. The attack had left her with her nose, several fingers, three of her ribs and her collar bone broken and had fractured her left cheekbone, pelvis, right arm and two additional ribs. Her left wrist had been badly sprained fending off his attack. She had suffered a serious concussion and her body and pretty face were covered in nasty bruises, cuts, and scrapes. She had to have seventeen stitches to close the wounds by her right eye and across her right cheek. Fortunately, she had been curled into a ball when being kicked and her ribs and legs had taken the brunt of the attack, preserving her vulnerable insides. There had been some internal bleeding caused by her broken ribs, but it had been stopped before any permanent damage had been done. She was lucky in that matter, but it was hard to feel that way. She looked terrible.

She was also bored and felt more alone than she ever had before. She had received only one phone call and it had been someone from work to tell her that she had lost her job. No one had been in to see her except her attending nurses and a man from the courthouse who had been by to inform her of her upcoming court date. Hopefully, they would let her finish school before sending her to jail. Doctors were hopeful that she would be well enough to start her senior year in September. No sports though, of course.

Kelly was still thinking about this, when the door opened and an older man in a suit walked in. She sat up in her bed, wincing sharply as she did.

His eyes widened in shock as he saw her.

Kelly looked away. She had seen her face and she didn't blame him. The doctors had thought she was the victim of a car accident when she was first brought in.

The man quickly recovered and made his way over to her bed, pulled up the chair, and sat down.

"Hi, Kelly, my name is Carter O'Neal." he said smiling warmly at her. He extended his right hand.

Kelly uneasily looked down at her own right hand which was in a cast, held immobile by a sling over her shoulder. She gave him her bandaged left hand and he shook it awkwardly, trying not to hurt her.

"How are you feeling?" he asked.

Kelly gave him a rueful smile.

"I've been better." she said quietly.

"You seem to be doing much better from what I've heard." he added trying to lift her spirits.

Kelly nodded her head slowly. She wondered why he was here.

"Can I get you anything?" O'Neal asked her.

"No, thank you. I'm fine."

"Sure?" he asked again raising his eyebrows.

Kelly nodded her head. "I'm fine, sir."

"Well, Kelly. I am with the foster program, and I've been sent to talk to you about your new placement after you're discharged from here."

Kelly ran her tongue over her split bottom lip. That's why he's here.

"I'm probably going to jail after I'm discharged from here. You're wasting your time." she said coldly.

"You won't go to court until early October and you're leaving here in a few days. Until your court date, we are going to assume that you'll need a place to live until you finish school. So, I'm going to talk to you a little bit about your new placement." he went on, ignoring her negativity.

"No." she said.

He seemed surprised. "No?"

"I'm not being placed anywhere else." she said in a quiet but firm voice. She licked her lip again.

He chuckled as if she was making a joke. Then he bent down to look at his file.

He wasn't getting it.

"I'm not kidding. I'm not going to be placed anywhere else." she repeated a little louder.

O'Neal closed his file.

"Look, Kelly, I know this last placement didn't work out for you b-"

She cut him off with a derisive laugh.

"Didn't work out?!" she spat bitterly. "Look at me!"

"Ok, Kelly, I'm aware of that, but just listen to-" he started, raising a hand to calm her.

But she wasn't finished,

"No, you listen." she snapped at him. "None of them have worked out. I'm tired of your goddamn foster homes. Do you even check these people out?! It's like you deliberately choose the worst people possible and sent me to live with them. Are there any requirements at all? Or do you care?" she paused, but not long enough to let him answer "Of course you don't care, as long as you get them out of the orphanages and keep expenses down, am I right? Who's going to complain? Their parents?"

O'Neal stammered. He hadn't expected this.

"So you can tell them whatever it is that you want so you can keep your job, but when I get out of here I'm not going to a foster home and I'm not going to an orphanage." she fumed. She was breathing hard and it was making her side ache. She winced and laid back against her pillow, drained by the exertion of arguing.

O'Neal sat in stunned silence for a moment, then found his voice.

"You're only seventeen Kelly, legally you are still a child, and it's still our obligation to place you in a state sponsored program until your eighteenth birthday" he explained gently. He didn't want to set her off again.

"I'll be eighteen in December." she said quickly.

He checked her file. So she would.

"Yes, but that's almost four months away from now."

"Can't you just take me out of the system early?" she pleaded

"No, I'm afraid I can't do that." he said shaking his head.

Kelly sighed. He was making her head hurt. She brought her hand up and gingerly touched the bandaged gash where she had been kicked.

"I won't go." she said flatly.

"Kelly-" O'Neal began.

She turned to him, tears starting to well up in her eyes.

"Please sir, I can't do this anymore. It just keeps getting worse and worse. The next place you put me in will probably kill me." she begged. Her voice sounded shaky and close to breaking.

He looked at her uncomfortably.

"Please." she repeated.

"What will you do, then?" O'Neal asked her wearily.

"I can go to school, get a job, find a cheap apartment, live in a tree, I don't care, I'll manage, I swear to you." she begged him quietly.

"I could get fired for this." he said miserably.

Feeling like she was gaining ground, Kelly pressed on.

"It's only for a little while, please, no one has to know. Ask them if they can just pretend that I'm there, I'll even pay them when I have the money, please"

O'Neal buried his face in his hands. He was sure any couple would agree to receiving government checks and not having a kid to take care of. Maybe he could work it out to where Kelly got the check. Why was he even considering this? This was illegal. If something happened to this girl, he would never forgive himself. But she looked so desperate.

"Let me call in a few favors and see what I can do." he said finally. "But look, you can't into anymore trouble, or they'll have my head."

Kelly shook her head. "I won't. I've learned my lesson, believe me." she said convincingly. She was telling the truth. It had been a hard lesson learned.

He nodded his head. This was horribly wrong, but for some reason, he believed her.

"I'll see what I can do." he sighed. He bid her goodbye and walked out the door.

Kelly spent the remainder of the day anxiously worrying if Carter O'Neal could help her. She was afraid to get her hopes up, but even more afraid of the prospect of being placed in another foster home. She almost made herself sick with anticipation. Sleep did not come easily that night. Her nurse had to sedate her to get her to rest, after checking in with her twice during the night and finding her still awake.

The next morning, O'Neal popped his head into her room.

"Good morning, Kelly." he said as he came in and walked towards her bed.

"Good morning." she said anxiously.

"How are you feeling this morning?" he asked. She certainly didn't look any better.

"That depends." Kelly answered him with a weak smile, indicating that she wanted his answer.

O'Neal smiled and nodded his head. She wasn't in the mood for idle chit chat it seemed. He cleared his throat and cut to the chase.

"Ok, I have a friend who owns an apartment complex. You can't sign a lease because you're too young, but he'll let you stay in any empty rooms he has. It's not exactly in the best of neighborhoods though, so you need to be very careful. Don't go out after it gets dark. When you turn eighteen you can sign a lease and get your own room."

Kelly grinned happily. She wanted to cry she was so relieved.

"What about the foster couple?" she asked.

"They don't mind and I don't think they'll be a problem." he answered. He wouldn't have to worry about them at all actually, he had managed to organize everything under the table. But not wanting to concern her, he left out that information.

"Thank you, sir." Kelly said with a grateful smile. "Thank you so much."

"Uh huh." he replied. " You do know if you get sentenced to something next month then all bets are off. You have to go wherever it is they tell you, right?

She nodded. She was sure she would go to prison, but a whole month of living on her own seemed like the perfect way to spend her last few weeks of freedom. A final parting gift from her sad existence.

"Thank you." she repeated, her eyes shining with tears of happiness.

He patted her affectionately on her good arm and got up to leave. He reached into his jacket and gave Kelly a card with a phone number on it.

"Give him a call when you get out of here." he instructed. "And don't say anything about this to anyone."

Kelly nodded. "Thank you so much."

O'Neal smiled at her as he opened the door and stepped out.

"Good luck, Kelly."


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22

Los Angeles, California

August 21st, 1974

Kelly keyed open the door to her little apartment and stepped inside out of the rain. She shook her umbrella out through the open door before closing and locking it. She was exhausted.

It had been a rough three years for her but, despite all the hardships she had endured, she felt she was much better off. She went gone to court in early October of 1971 and the judge had been surprisingly lenient. Kelly believed it was due to her age and the fact that she showed up with her arm in a sling, her collarbone brace on, and her face still bearing faint traces of her beating just two months before. She had been found guilty and sentenced to four years in prison like she expected, however the judge had called her forward and offered her a deal. He explained to her that in lieu of prison time, she would be assigned three hundred and fifty hours of community service to be completed in six months. She was just shy of eighteen, so another part of the deal had been for her to stay in school until graduation and retain a 3.5 grade point average with no excessive absences or tardies. She also couldn't get into anymore trouble. If she failed to keep her end of the bargain, she would finish out the school year in a juvenile detention center and then serve her prison time for her crimes. She had readily agreed to the deal. After court was dismissed, she had been heading out the door in a daze, struggling with a mixture of disbelief, guilt and relief when the judge had called her over to him. She meekly stood before him with her head lowered. Kelly would never forget his exact words to her as she left the court room that day.

"All of my colleagues think I'm making a terrible mistake for doing this, but I've been checking through your files and I see so much potential in you. Too much to lock you away. Prove them wrong." he had told her in a fatherly voice. He cupped her chin in his hand and tilted her head up to look him in the eyes. "You've been given a second chance, Ms. Garrett. Don't waste it."

She hadn't. She had straightened right up and kept her GPA at a 3.9 for her senior year, graduating from University High School with the rest of the class of 1972. She hadn't even attended her graduation ceremony because she was busy picking up trash by the side of the road to fulfill her community service hours.

Carter O'Neal had been a huge help to her while she got on her feet. He had not only arranged with his friend for her to live in an apartment when she was still seventeen, but had also shown up for her court date to act as her guardian. She found out later that he had listed himself as her foster father after he had made sure she was settled into the apartment complex, just in case something were to happen to her.

For the first two months, Kelly was more than happy to sleep in empty apartments with no electricity or running water. She ate at school, did her homework in the leasing office and used any free time she had to chip away at the community service she was required to do. The minute she turned eighteen though, she had signed a lease and gotten an after school job at a nearby grocery store to pay rent.

The first months were tough on her as she went to school full time, worked a part time job, did her homework, and finished up her community service hours. Money was very tight, and though she hated the idea, she again turned to scamming people on the streets to scrape by. She hated herself for it, but she had to eat. She came home completely exhausted everyday, but somehow she managed it. After graduation, she had gotten a job as a waitress at a small diner. It was hard work but it paid the bills. She worked hard and saved her money. She even took a few classes at the local community college this past spring, but found it was too expensive and time consuming to pursue. She reluctantly gave it up. College material she was not.

Though a grown woman now, Kelly's troubled childhood greatly effected her adult life. She was emotionally detached, guarded, withdrawn and carried herself in a way that discouraged new people from approaching her. The only advantage to this was that it kept her safe in her rough neighborhood. She kept to herself and avoided being with people more than she had to. Her coworkers had long given up on inviting her out with them. Kelly preferred to be alone. She was happy alone. There was no one to fear when she was alone and she did her best to keep it that way. Though devastatingly beautiful, she didn't date and had no desire to. She neither had nor wanted friends, and on days she didn't work, never even had to use her voice.

Kelly slumped on her threadbare couch, her feet aching. She had worked a double shift today and it had been non-stop from the moment she clocked in to the moment she clocked out. She sat listening to the rain. Her loud upstairs neighbors argued noisily above her head. She closed her eyes and found herself getting into one of those thoughtful moods that usually ended with her depressed and wanting more out of her life. Shrugging it off, she went into the bathroom for a quick shower.

Refreshed, she changed into pajamas and came back to lie on the couch. It was also her bed, since she didn't have one. I could do more with my life, she thought to herself. The thoughtful mood had won the battle without her even knowing it. Her waitress job was tiring and offered no satisifaction. She served food. She talked to customers. She occasionally got hit on. That was it. No benefits, no meaning, nothing.

She sighed. She wanted a rewarding career. She wanted for her life to mean something.

Depressed, she drifted off into an unhappy sleep.

She woke early the next day. It was her only day off this week and she didn't want to waste a second of it. She put on a t-shirt and shorts and went for a jog. She had been so restless lately and running usually helped her with that. It didn't this time though. She returned forty five minutes later, drenched with sweat, her sides aching miserably, and feeling dizzy.

Her last paycheck had been sparse. She'd been forced to go home for three days earlier in the month for being sick, and those three days without tips had severely offset her grocery budget. Restocking her refrigerator would have to wait until her next paycheck. She wasn't eating right and it was starting to show. Disgusted with her life, she showered and dressed comfortably for the day.

Kelly walked outside and sat at the bus stop. She was still saving up for a car. Someone had left a newspaper on the bench earlier that morning. To pass the time, Kelly scooped it up and skimmed through it. An ad caught her eye.

BE ALL YOU CAN BE IN THE ARMY!

No thanks, she thought dismissively. Then she gave it a second thought. The military would pay for college, would clothe, feed, and house her. And that definitely would be giving meaning to her pathetic existence. A sudden image of Sergeant Bradford's face flashed through her mind and shaken, she immediately crushed the idea. No. The army wasn't for her.

But maybe…

NEW RECRUITS WANTED FOR L.A.P.D.  
MUST BE AT LEAST 21 YEARS OLD WITH HIGH SCHOOL DIPLOMA

She was deep in thought when the bus pulled up. Kelly wasn't paying attention as she sat in the bench staring at the newspaper. Assuming she was either asleep or incredibly picky, the bus started to roll onwards. Kelly jumped up, waved it down, and climbed aboard, embarrassed.

"Sorry." she said sheepishly as she dropped her dime in the slot.

She took a seat next to a demented looking man in a trench coat, barely aware of his presence.

The more she thought about this L.A.P.D. thing, the more excited she became.

She certainly had experience dealing with the police from her wild teenage years. She hoped her juvenile record wouldn't disqualify her. Her nose had been clean for three years now.

Kelly stared at the paper, skimming over the ad over and over again hoping for more information. The man next to her muttered to himself. She barely noticed.

At the third stop, Kelly got off and walked around the little shopping area. She couldn't afford any frivolous spending, but she liked to look around and imagine she could. Today, however, she couldn't seem to enjoy herself. Her mind kept wandering back to that ad. Could she do it? She was in pretty good shape. Her body was lean and fit from running and working all day. She learned quickly, and she already knew how to handle a gun from her misfit teenage years. Her twenty first birthday wasn't until December, but maybe that could be overlooked. She'd certainly be twenty one when the class ended.

Window shopping abandoned, she found a payphone, plunked a dime in the slot, and called the number on the ad. The woman on the other line informed her that a new class would be starting in a few weeks and she would have to come by to fill out an application for acceptance. To Kelly's relief, she would be allowed to apply since her birthday was within eight weeks of the start of the course. The course would run for eight months and cadets in training were to live on base in dorms. The class would cost fifteen hundred dollars. After completion of the class, they would be given the opportunity to interview for jobs with the L.A.P.D. at an assigned precinct.

Kelly could barely contain her excitement. She had just about fifteen hundred dollars saved up in the bank. She was putting everything she had into this, and she felt the old familiar kick of adrenaline as she assessed the risks. Making up her mind, she jumped on the next bus and headed towards the police station to fill out an application.. She got off at the closest bus stop and made her way to the station. It wasn't far.

Ten minutes later, she walked inside the police station and headed towards the front desk, where an older policeman sat busily scribbling something on a sheet of paper. She took a deep breath.

"Excuse me, sir?"

"Can I help you?" the officer at the desk asked without looking up.

"Yeah, I'd like to apply for the police academy." Kelly answered.

The officer looked up at her and then burst into laughter as he recognized her face. She looked older, more mature, definitely prettier, but it was still the same trouble making girl he dealt with so often just a few years ago. He never forgot a face.

"Thought you'd be dead by now. Good to see you haven't lost that sense of humor. Now get the hell out of here." he said with a bitter laugh. "I'm still doing paper work on you."

Kelly frowned. Had he picked her up before? It was possible.

"Please, sir. It's not a joke." she pleaded. She prayed he wouldn't throw her out.

His smile fell from his face as he realized from her tone that she was serious.

"What, you've got to be kidding me. Why do you want to be a cop?" he said in disbelief as he set his pencil down.

"I'm tired of wasting my life, sir. I want to do something with it." she said firmly.

He raised his eyebrows at her. "You had no trouble wasting my life."

Kelly sighed.

"I straightened myself out a few years ago. I'm serious about this. I tried my best to get into trouble when I was younger and I was good at it, wasn't I? I'll work my hardest for this too. You'll see." she said with false confidence.

The officer looked her up and down. She seemed to have grown up.

"I meet all the requirements. I'll be twenty one in less than two months, I'm physically fit, and I have a high school education." Kelly pressed on, feeling the need to convince him further.

"And a police record longer than your hair." the officer quipped.

Kelly looked away. She couldn't let this slip away from her before she even started. She looked back up at the officer and determinedly set her jaw.

"It's a juvenile record. I was a child and I've already carried out my sentence. I've been a model citizen since I was eighteen. My work record since then is perfect and I haven't even so much as gotten a parking ticket since I was seventeen." she argued. She was bluffing. She had no idea if it would hold her back. She held her breath.

The officer frowned. She was right, it wouldn't affect her as an adult, and wouldn't instantly disqualify her from the academy.

He looked her over again. She certainly didn't seem anything like the hood she had been a few years ago.

"You have to be twenty one, but you're close enough. They'll give you a thorough background check before you get accepted to the academy. It's up to them, but I think if you can convince them during your interview, you should be alright." he said warily to her, still half expecting her to laugh in his face and skip out the door with his wallet, somehow.

Kelly let out the breath she'd been holding.

The man raised an eyebrow at her. "I never dreamed I'd be giving you forms from this side of the desk in all my life." he said, reaching into his desk and pulling out the stack of paperwork for Kelly to fill out.

She grinned at him.

"You won't be sorry."

He nodded. "I have to get one more form. I'll be right back. Try not to steal anything."

He rose from his chair and walked towards a small storage closet to fetch the needed form. He stole a glance over at the determined young woman standing by his desk. She was so different from what she had been. In spite of himself, a slow smile spread itself across his face. I'll be damned. He couldn't wait to share this with the guys.

Kelly was elated. So far, so good. This actually seemed like it could work out for her.

He walked back with the paper in hand and held it out to Kelly. She accepted it with a polite smile.

"Thanks." she said. He grunted in reply.

Kelly looked around awkwardly for somewhere to fill out the thick stack of forms.

"There's a counter by the phone booth over there, you can use that. And the phones are attached to the wall so I know even you couldn't steal them. Oh, and I want that pen back when you're finished." he called out to her as he continued his work.

She laughed. His words were harsh but his tone wasn't. She headed over to the counter and filled out her paperwork. Half an hour later, she signed the last form and brought them back to the policeman's desk.

"All finished?" he asked without looking up.

"Yes, sir. All of them. I didn't even keep any. " she said holding out her empty hands.

"Uh huh. Just set them down there and you may be getting a call within a few days."

Kelly set her stack of papers down amid the clutter on his desk.

"Where's my pen?" he grumped at her.

She grinned and pointed it out to him. It had rolled out of sight. "See? My criminal days are over." she said sweetly.

"Like I believe that."

With twinkling eyes, she noticed his stapler and stealthily pocketed it. Just as well, since he didn't believe her.

"Well, thank you." she told the policeman, slinging her purse over her shoulder. He grunted in response and she turned to leave. Passing a neighboring desk, she carefully deposited his stapler. There is absolutely nothing wrong with being passive aggressive, she thought to herself.

"Hey." his voice suddenly called out.

Kelly turned, surprised to hear him and worried that he had caught her in the middle of her prank.

"Good luck, kid."

She smiled at him, eyed the stapler and decided that the deed couldn't be undone.

Wanting to give herself as much of a fighting chance as possible, Kelly called the station as soon as she got home and spoke to one of the police chiefs about her application, insisting on her current lawful lifestyle and begging not to be disqualified for the things she had done as a teenager.

It was a very strategic move on her part.

A lieutenant called her a few days later requesting an interview. Kelly had arrived ten minutes early and was not surprised when her juvenile record was the first thing brought up. She convincingly explained her change of heart and desire to put her criminal past behind her. She was a very persuasive talker, and after a few minutes of deliberation, the lieutenant had nodded his head and led her to another room for a hearing and vision test. Kelly wondered nervously if that meant she had passed the background check.

She had.

Her application was accepted and she happily paid her tuition and reserved a spot in the dorms.

The next day at work, she put in her two weeks notice and canceled her lease on her run down apartment. It had felt so liberating.

The next two weeks flew by. She spent her free time working out, doing push ups, situps, and pullups in her apartment. After a mishap involving her breaking the hanging pole in her closet doing pull ups, she started going to the elementary school a few blocks down and using their monkey bars. She changed her usual four mile runs to six mile runs. She wanted to be ready.

After her last day of work, she walked out, tired but feeling happier than she had in a long time. She had the weekend to rest up and prepare herself.

Monday morning, bags packed, she left her little apartment for the last time and took the bus to the police academy training center. The nearest bus stop was half a mile away, but she didn't mind walking. Fifteen minutes later, she looked up at the big wooden sign

POLICE ACADEMY

Very subtle.

She grinned as she felt the familiar rush of adrenaline pumping through her at the prospect of a new challenge.

Here goes nothing....


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23

September 27, 1974

The life of a police academy cadet ended up suiting Kelly more than she thought possible. Being on a structured schedule, eating well, and getting adequate sleep was greatly improving her overall health. Her days were filled with classes and training, leaving no time for the negative thoughts that plagued her whenever she was inactive. At night, the physical exertion of her days left her too exhausted to dwell on her past, so she slept better than she had in years, the nightmares nowhere near as frequent as they had been. She was assigned to a small barrack with three other women. As was her custom, she kept to herself, only addressing her roommates when she absolutely had to. It wasn't that she was unfriendly. If spoken to, she was as polite and courteous as she could be. She just never made the effort to get to know any of her roommates. She didn't even know any of their names, save one girl.

Sabrina Blalock was a friendly young woman, about her age, who had immediately introduced herself as soon as Kelly had walked over and set her things down on her bunk. Kelly had been amazed by Sabrina's brashness. She had watched as the young woman had introduced herself to every one of her roommates without a trace of shyness or self consciousness.

She could have never done that.

Sabrina's bed was next to hers and they made small talk once in awhile while they were getting up in the morning or getting ready for bed at night. Sabrina struck Kelly as being very smart and very well educated. She was also very pretty. Tall, with straight, long, dark brown hair, beautiful sharp facial features, and dancing dark brown eyes that seemed to always be deep in thought, Sabrina had a sort of regal air about her. Kelly wondered why the intelligent young woman bothered talking to her at all. She supposed it was because she was close by and it was convenient.

Kelly trudged into her barrack after a late dinner one night. It had been a hard day, but she felt good. They had just started a self defense class and had worked on basic disarming techniques. A natural athelete, Kelly had excelled and the instructor had come up to her after the class was dismissed to praise her. She had no idea how well she was doing. The compliments had made Kelly almost drunk with happiness. Kind words had been few and far between in her life.

She walked over to her bunk and sat down to kick off her shoes. Sabrina was lounging on her own bunk, flipping through a magazine. She looked up as Kelly sat down.

"Hey." she greeted her.

"Hey."

"How'd it go today?" Sabrina asked, putting her magazine down. She was bored with it and secretly glad that Kelly had come back so she could have someone to talk to.

Being in a particularly good mood, Kelly didn't mind.

"It was alright" she answered her. "How about you?"

Sabrina was pleased with Kelly's willingness to talk. She never spoke unless spoken to and even then answered most questions with close ended, one syllable answers, making conversation nearly impossible. Though most were afraid to approach her for fear of being treated harshly, Sabrina could tell that her icy demeanor wasn't because she was rude or mean spirited. From the brief interaction they had shared, she actually seemed like a sweet girl, it just was usually like pulling teeth getting her to say more than a few words. But Kelly Garrett had actually answered a question with a question. Encouraged, she continued.

"Good. Good. Hey, I saw you at self defense today, that was a great job you did." she complimented her.

Kelly blushed. "Oh, thanks. Are you in my group?"

Sabrina laughed.

"Yeah, I am. I was the one in the back not doing as well as you were." she teased.

Kelly wasn't sure if that was a joke or not.

"I'm sure you did just fine. I was one of the last to go, so the instructor was probably tired out by the time it was my turn." she said modestly.

"Hey, don't sell yourself short," Sabrina grinned pushing her shoulder lightly. "You did great."

Kelly gave her an uneasy grin. Picking up on her discomfort, Sabrina changed the subject.

"So where you from, Garrett?" she asked Kelly.

"Texas." Kelly answered, grateful for the change of topic.

"Oh, Texas." Sabrina said thoughtfully. "I thought I heard a little Southern in your voice. What part?"

"Dallas," Kelly replied. She had an accent? This was news.

"Never been there, but I've heard about it. What's there to do in Dallas?" Sabrina asked, standing up and moving to sit on Kelly's bed. Without realizing it, Kelly instinctively leaned away from her, slightly turning her body in an unconscious effort to distance herself. Sabrina noticed, but didn't care. Besides, it would look strange for her to get up and move again.

"Well, I only lived there until I was eleven, so I didn't do much but go to school. I barely even remember it." she answered her. That last part was a lie of course, she couldn't forget her time in Dallas no matter how hard she tried.

"Where are you from?" Kelly asked quickly, wanting to steer the conversation away from herself.

"I'm from Philadelphia." Sabrina said with a grin. "The city of brotherly love." she added making an imaginary arc with her hands.

She got thoughtful all of a sudden.

"Ya know though, after going to San Francisco, I would say that they deserve the title much more than we do."

Kelly laughed. A real laugh.

"I haven't been yet, but I've definitely heard about it" Kelly said, still smiling.

"Oh, you're in for a treat then. We should go one weekend. Bring a camera." Sabrina said excitedly. She put on a Texas drawl. "Bet those cowboys'll love that in Texas."

Kelly laughed again.

"Is that how I sound?" she asked, putting a hand to her heart in mock concern.

"Nah, I don't think anyone in Texas sounds like that." Sabrina said with a grin.

They both shared a laugh.

"So what brought you all the way to California?" Kelly asked to keep the conversation going. She was starting to feel a little more at ease with Sabrina.

Sabrina wrinkled her nose.

"Ok, don't tell anybody but-" she looked over her shoulders and leaned in closer to Kelly, "A boy."

Kelly chuckled softly.

"Pathetic, I know." Sabrina said shaking her head.

"It's not pathetic." Kelly assured her.

Sabrina nodded her head.

"Well it is, a little. See, we met while I was in high school back in Philly. I was a freshman and he had already graduated. We dated for awhile and then he tells me he's going to get his degree in criminal justice at U.C.L.A. We did the whole long distance thing for a few years and after I graduated I followed him here. He finished college in three years and started at the police academy, was a cop for a year and now he's a detective in the L.A.P.D." she said proudly. "So then I graduated with a political science degree and nearly go bankrupt with all the loans I took out, and what do I do?"

She paused to give Kelly a chance to answer. When she didn't, Sabrina went on.

"I decide that it's boring and I want to do something exciting like being a cop too." she finished happily.

Kelly was impressed.

"Wow." she said to Sabrina. "Are you still dating him."

Sabrina grinned happily, and dove to her knees by her bunk. She pulled a shoebox out from under her bed and brought it back over to Kelly. She opened it and pulled out a ring box.

"He proposed last month." she said excitedly, popping open the box.

Kelly's eyes widened in surprise as she saw the beautiful ring.

"Wow, congratulations. That's really great." she said. "What's his name?"

"Bill. Bill Duncan." Sabrina said dreamily. She shoved her shoebox back under her bed. "I don't want to wear the ring during training. I'm afraid I'll lose it." she explained.

"Yeah, I don't blame you." Kelly said nodding her head. A thought occurred to her.

"Hey, how old are you? If you don't mind me asking." she asked Sabrina. She seemed to have accomplished so much for someone so young.

"I just turned twenty one last month." Sabrina answered. "How about you."

"I'll be twenty one in a couple months." Kelly answered. She did the math in her head. "How did you get so much done so soon?" she asked again in a tone of awe.

Sabrina shrugged her shoulders and chuckled. "I skipped a grade in elementary school."

Kelly was still impressed. She felt so unaccomplished compared to her.

"So, what brought you out to California?" Sabrina asked.

Kelly hesitated for a few seconds, wondering how she could tell Sabrina without revealing too much.

"I moved around a lot as a kid. I liked it here so I just stayed." she answered back,

"Oh yeah? Are you an Army brat like I am?" Sabrina asked eagerly.

Kelly smiled. She had been an ex-Army brat., but didn't want to think about it. "No, I just seemed to always be moving,"

"What do your parents do for you to be moving around so much?" Sabrina asked again.

Abandon me, Kelly thought bitterly to herself. Then decided that that wasn't the best answer.

"Nothing that really required moving. I guess they just wanted a change of scenery now and then." she answered evasively.

Kelly's first impressions of Sabrina had been correct. She was smart. And right now, she sensed that Kelly was hiding something from her. But, she liked her and didn't want to push it. Her tough exterior was obviously a front to protect herself. Kelly seemed troubled and looked like she needed a friend. Besides, they barely knew each other. Maybe she was just a private person. So, deciding that Kelly would tell her when she was ready, Sabrina let it go.

Instead, she nodded at Kelly's weak explanation of her constant relocating.

"Oh. My dad was in the army, we moved around some too when I was younger. But somehow we ended up back in Philly. He says he might move out here to California when he retires next year." she continued thoughtfully.

Kelly nodded and they both sat in awkward silence for a few moments. Kelly decided that Sabrina was done talking to her and started to change for bed.

"So what are you going to do tomorrow?" Sabrina asked her. She was bored and wanted to talk some more.

Kelly thought for a moment. They had the day off because it was Sunday. She didn't have any plans though. Probably because she didn't have any friends.

"I guess I'm just hanging around here" she told Sabrina.

Sabrina nodded.

"Me too. Well, I guess I'll see you around tomorro, then."

Kelly smiled at her and the two girls changed clothes and went to bed.

The girls ended up spending the day together. Over the next two weeks, the two girls talked more and more to each other and began to form a sort of bond. Kelly hadn't had a real friend since Barbara back at the orphanage, and she had forgetten how nice it was to have someone to talk to. They had been grouped into several of the same classes together and began to seek each other out. Kelly found herself noticing how lonely she was during the classes she didn't share with Sabrina.

Fire arms training was one of those classes. Kelly enjoyed her shooting class. She had learned long ago how to handle a gun and she was a keen shot. With more practice, her aim became deadly accurate and she almost never missed her target. The cadets had been instructed to practice alone in the shooting range, so Kelly stood in a booth blasting away at the paper target in front of her.

"Wow! Look at that poor guy, his head is gone!" a voice called from behind her.

Confused, she turned around and pulled out her earplugs.

"What?"

A blonde girl was standing behind her, her hands on her hips admiring her handiwork. The human shaped paper target had been annihilated by Kelly's shooting. She had been aiming for the head. She hadn't missed.

"Oh, sorry. You shoot real good." the girl said flashing her a gleaming white smile.

Finally understanding, Kelly shrugged and grinned back at her. "Thanks, you too" she said gesturing to the girl's paper target. It was covered with bullet holes. The girl nodded back at her and they continued their shooting.

After the last target was finished, they turned them in to their instructor to be graded. As they waited for their grade, they loitered in the shooting range, watching other cadets practice. They were the only two women in the range and the blonde instinctively wandered over to the corner where Kelly was standing alone.

"I'm Jill, by the way." the blonde girl said, sticking out her hand.

Kelly shook it. "Kelly" she greeted her. With her protective goggles off, Kelly got a real look at the new girl's face. She was very beautiful with wavy ash blonde hair tied up in a pontyail away from her face, icy blue eyes, and perfect teeth. She was about Kelly's height, slender and athletic looking and by her appearance, it seemed she would be more at home lounging on the beach than wearing a t-shirt and shooting a gun.

"Nice to meet you, Kelly" Jill said with another toothy smile. "So, what made you want to join the glorious ranks of the L.A.P.D." she added with a giggle.

Kelly shrugged. "Just needed to do something with my life. I guess I wanted to help people." she told her realizing it for the first time as the words came out of her mouth. Help people like they helped me, she thought. Maybe helping people would make up for all the bad she had done

"Same here." Jill nodded. "Plus, I wanted some action and adventure in my life. I wasn't getting that working in a sporting goods store, ya know?"

Kelly laughed. Jill had a bubbly, animated way of talking that put her at ease and drew her into the conversation.

"I know what you mean." Kelly said with nod. "I was a waitress. The most adventurous part of my day was getting goosed by old men and cleaning up spilled coffee."

Jill giggled merrily.

"Well, here's to hoping we get what we want out of life." Jill said philosophically, lifting her empty gun in the air as if she was making a toast.

Kelly smiled and tapped Jill's gun with her own.

The two chatted a few more minutes until their instructor appeared out of his office and started shouting last names.

"Johnson, Garcia, Callahan, Garrett, Herman, Munroe, Hernandez!" the fire arms instructor shouted out, holding out their grade reports.

Jill and Kelly took their grades and walked back out to the shooting range looking at them. Kelly had received a 99 and Jill a 94. Both were pleased as they walked out of the shooting range.

"Nice job, sharpshooter." Jill said approvingly, looking over Kelly's shoulder at her grade.

Kelly blushed and dropped her hand by her side, hiding her report.

"You did really well, too." she replied awkwardly.

"Hey, I'm starving, you wanna go grab some lunch?" Jill asked suddenly.

Kelly had planned on eating alone and would have politely refused Jill's offer, but Jill took her arm and started leading her towards the cafeteria before she had finished her question. Amused by her outgoing and spontaneous new acquaintance, she changed her mind about eating alone and let herself be led away.

"Sure." Kelly answered needlessly, with a smile as she stuck her graded report in her back pocket.

The two girls walked side by side into the cafeteria, piled food on their trays, and headed towards the rows of long tables, looking for a place to sit.

"Oh, hey! There's Sabrina, let's go sit with her." Jill said excitedly, tapping Kelly's arm and pointing in Sabrina's direction. "She's nice, you'll like her." she added for Kelly's benefit. She had figured Kelly was a bit shy.

Kelly chuckled to herself as she followed Jill. "I know her, she's one of my roommates." she told her new friend.

"Really?" Jill said, her expressive blue eyes widening. "You're lucky. My roommates are boring."

Kelly laughed and the two girls set down their trays in front of Sabrina, who until then had been picking at her lunch and flipping through a magazine. She looked up as they pulled out their chairs and smiled, pushing the boring magazine away.

"Hey, Kelly. Hey, Jill." she said. "I didn't know you two knew each other."

"We have fire arms training together." Jill explained, rolling her fork out of her napkin.

Sabrina and Kelly watched in intrigued wonder as Jill scraped her green beans, potatoes, and salad into her roast beef and gravy and mixed them all together.

"What class did you just get out of?" Kelly asked Sabrina, finally tearing her eyes away from Jill's tray.

Sabrina's willpower wasn't quite as strong.

"Uh, I just came from crime scene investigation." she said absently, still staring at Jill's plate. She put her fork down.

"You have search warrant lecture at 1 don't you?" Sabrina asked Kelly.

Kelly nodded her reply since she was chewing a bite of food.

"Hey, me too!" Jill exclaimed around a mouthful of her lunch medley.

"Great, we can sit together and keep each other awake." Sabrina said with a grin. Lecture class was an overview of the laws and procedures they would uphold as police officers. Though important, it was by far the dullest class that the girls had.

"It's good to find other girls to sit with." Jill said. "Girls don't often find the need to act like macho jerks all the time."

Kelly nodded. As women, they were definitely in the minority here. Some of the men didn't seem too happy about having to take classes with women. The girls had learned to ignore the discouraging comments that they often endured.

"Munroe!" A loud voice shouted from behind them.

Kelly and Jill turned in their chairs and Sabrina looked over their shoulders as one of the police captains walked over with an envelope. He handed it to Jill.

"Tell whoever is writing you that they need to start putting the address to your barracks and not the main office." he said in an irritated voice.

"Yes sir, sorry about that." Jill replied, turning the envelope over in her hands. "It's my kid sister, I think she just called and asked the receptionist for the address. I'll let her know."

"Which receptionist?" he questioned her.

"I'm not sure, but it's probably that lady with the mustache." Jill answered distractedly, still examining her envelope.

Kelly quickly looked away and bit the inside of her cheek to keep from laughing. She glanced over at Sabrina and saw her cover her face with her hand to keep food from spraying out of her mouth. She played it off with a cough.

"Uh huh, I'll tell her to start asking if people who want addresses are writing to new recruits." the captain said giving Jill a strange look.

Jill smiled at him, then looked around at her new friends and seeing their bemused expressions, suddenly realized the carelessness of her previous statement. A look of horror crossed her face. Kelly and Sabrina looked away quickly.

"Carry on, ladies." the captain said, turning to leave.

Once he was out of earshot, the three girls burst into laughter.

"Oh wow, that was funny." Kelly said as they calmed down, wiping her eyes.

Sabrina smiled and shook her head at Jill. "You're a riot, Munroe."

Jill flashed her a grin. "Sorry, sometimes my mental filter shuts down." she explained.

The three girls finished their lunch and walked together to their next class, chatting happily as if they had known each other for years.


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 24

December 21st, 1974

Police training was exhausting and grueling work, and it seemed that not everyone who had enrolled was cut out for it. By the time December rolled around, many new recruits had dropped out, unable to keep up with the demanding physical and mental exertions of daily life. Kelly and Sabrina watched as their two other roommates dropped out one after another. The two, along with Jill, had become good friends over the course of the past few months and during their little free time, could always be seen together. In the middle of November, Jill, who had noticed the vacancies in Sabrina and Kelly's room and was eager to get away from her own snotty roommates, had moved right in. Now roommates, the three became closer than ever. Kelly was surprised at how little time it had taken her to let down her guard around Sabrina and Jill. They always had a good time together and she found herself becoming more comfortable with the idea of having close friends. As usual, when surrounded with positive people and circumstances, she slowly came out of her shell and allowed her usually hidden personality and sense of humor to reveal itself. While her friends had liked her even when she was withdrawn and quiet, Sabrina and Jill were delighted by the change in her and enjoyed her company even more the more she opened up to them. She still hadn't told them anything of her past, preferring to sidestep any questions, but so far it hadn't been a big deal.

Now however, smack in the middle of the holiday season, she found herself faced with a new dilemma.

"Hey Kell, where are you going for Christmas?" Jill asked her one night as the three were lounging around before bed. She had taken to shortening Kelly's name to Kell and Sabrina's name to Bri within a week of meeting them. Kelly liked it, no one had ever called her Kell or any nickname before. It made her feel sort of special, like she was accepted. Like she belonged.

Kelly paled at the question.

"I don't know yet." she answered her evasively.

"Well, your family lives here in L.A. right? You think you'll be sticking around in California for our little break?" she asked, without looking up. She was doodling her name on a pad of paper in decorative script. Jill was quite the artist.

"Yeah, I probably will." Kelly replied uneasily.

"Well, since Bri is being a party pooper and hanging out with her loverboy the whole time" she batted her eyes in Sabrina's direction and dodged the pillow that Sabrina playfully tossed at her. "Why don't we get together? That is, if your family doesn't mind sharing you."

"No, I'm sure they won't mind at all." Kelly answered truthfully.

"Hey, I won't be with Bill's family the whole time!" Sabrina whined. "I wanna come to!"

Jill laughed. "I don't know Kell, what do you think?" she asked her, giving Sabrina a teasing grin.

Kelly stroked her chin and raised her eyebrows thoughtfully at Sabrina.

"Hmm" she pondered, looking at her friend. "I guess I can allow it. Maybe we can even meet Loverboy Bill?" she asked sweetly.

Sabrina laughed. "Sure, sure, of course. He's been wanting to meet you guys too."

"Excellent. Then it'll be a double date." Jill said happily. "Kell, you're my date so you better be on your best behavior."

"I won't make a promise I can't keep." Kelly said quickly.

They all laughed.

This settled, the girls went back to their previous activities. Sabrina reading, Kelly folding clothes, and Jill doodling. Apparently, Jill had gotten bored with writing her own name, because she had switched to writing Sabrina's. After a few minutes, she frowned at her work. Unable to get the S just right, she gave up and started scrawling Kelly's name, enjoying the three sets of double letters that it provided.

"Hey Kell, what's your middle name?" she asked, again without looking up.

Kelly looked up at her. "I don't have one." she said.

"Liar, you do too." Jill said, a broad grin breaking out over her face.

Kelly smiled. "No, really, I don't."

"You just don't want to tell me. It's something embarrassing isn't it?" Jill teased.

"Nope, I just don't have a middle name."

"I bet it's Mildred or something." Jill guessed, grinning widely at her friend.

Kelly laughed. "No, it's not! I don't have one!"

Sabrina looked up, amused by her friends' banter, and joined in.

"Aw, come on! Tell us! Inquiring minds want to know." she laughed.

"Yes, Mildred. Please tell us." Jill asked teasingly.

Kelly playfully flung a rolled up pair of socks in Jill's direction. They bounced off of Jill's head and the three girls broke out into loud giggles.

"Come on, Mildred. Tell us!" Jill gasped through her uncontrollable giggling. She ducked as another pair of socks came sailing at her head.

"I really don't have a middle name, Jillian Louise" Kelly laughed again, putting extra emphasis on Jill's full name. "I'm lucky I even have a last name." She stopped and immediately turned back to her laundry. Damn, what a slip.

"What do you mean?" Sabrina asked, still giggling.

Kelly put on a grin and smoothly played off her flub. "I'm from Texas. Not everyone has a last name. You only get one if you can fit it on a belt buckle."

Sabrina laughed at her impromptu joke.

"So, you really don't have a middle name?" Jill pouted.

Kelly grinned and shook her head. "Afraid not. Sorry to disappoint."

Jill sighed. "How boring of you."

She turned away and started scribbling in her notepad. Giggling to herself, she lifted it and showed Kelly and Sabrina the beautifully decorated script.

KELLY MILDRED GARRETT

Kelly, Sabrina and Jill burst into a hysterical fit of laughter. Two more pairs of socks bounced off of Jill's cheek and shoulder.

After recovering from their fit, they resumed their activities once more, punch drunk and randomly looking up at each other and bursting into laughter again. A thought occurred to Jill.

"Oh yeah, about next weekend, I'll give you two a call Friday, give me a number where I can reach you." Jill said, flipping to a new page in her notepad.

Sabrina gave Jill the number to Bill's aunt's house in Malibu. Kelly's smile quickly melted off her face. She had been planning to stay here in the barracks by herself just like she had last month for Thanksgiving, but if she told Jill to call her here, then they would both know she was staying. And they would want to know why. This was certainly a dilemma. Saddened, she decided that she'd rather sacrifice a good time than to have her friends discover her embarrassing secret.

Jill scribbled the number Sabrina gave her on her notepad and looked up expectantly at Kelly.

"Uh, you know, I think I'm actually gonna be pretty busy next weekend." she stammered nervously.

"I thought you said you would be free." Sabrina said looking up at her, disappointment on her face.

"Yeah sorry, I just remembered something." Kelly lied. "We can do something fun one weekend after the break."

Confused by Kelly's abrupt change of manner, Jill narrowed her eyes and studied her friend. Something wasn't right with her.

"Is something wrong, Kelly?" she asked gently

Kelly looked up at her. "No, nothing, it's just that I'm gonna be busy. That's all."

Jill wasn't fooled.

"You could tell us, ya know, if something was bothering you." she said coming over and sitting next to Kelly.

Jill and Sabrina were both looking at her intently. Kelly put on her familiar emotionless mask.

She stood up and walked over to her closet, opening it for no particular reason other than to distance herself from her friends. "Seriously, guys." she said with a grin. "I just forgot about something that I had planned."

Neither Jill or Sabrina believed her, but Sabrina nodded her head pretending that she did. Jill, however, couldn't be bothered with pretending.

"Come on, Kell." she said to her friend. "What's going on. Everytime we mention your family, you get real quiet and change the subject. It's been almost four months and we don't know a single thing about you. We don't know if you have brothers or sisters or cousins or anything. What's up? Do you not get along with them?"

"Jill." Sabrina warned. She could see Jill was upsetting Kelly.

Jill ignored her.

"What's going on Kell? You look so sad all the time, you never talk about your family or your childhood, you cry in your sleep. We've been worried about you." she pleaded, standing up and walking over to where Kelly was standing.

"Jill!" Sabrina warned again. "She doesn't want to talk about it, leave her alone."

Jill whirled around to Sabrina and shot her an annoyed look. "I just want to help her, that's all, you said the same thing yourself earlier."

Sabrina blushed with guilt.

"Aw, Jill. I do too, I just didn't want to force it out of her like this. C'mon, you're embarrassing her." she answered back, turning to Kelly with a pained expression on her face.

Kelly was stunned.

"I cry in my sleep?" she asked weakly.

Sabrina and Jill looked at each other. Sabrina let out a frustrated sigh and waved her hand in a gesture for Jill to continue. She was the one who brought it up, so she would have to be the one to explain it to Kelly.

Jill sighed wearily. "Yeah, you do. It freaked us out the first time. We thought you were hurt or something, but when I went over to check on you, I saw you were asleep. You talk alot too. Too hard to understand what you're saying, though." she said softly. "It's not every night, but you do it a lot."

Kelly was speechless. Had she been doing that her whole life? She thought her nightmares had been getting better. Her face burned hot with embarrassment. Feeling trapped, she started walking to the door, unable to look at her two friends. She had been foolish to think she could just start over here at the academy and bury the past forever. Her past apparently refused to be left behind. After making such an effort to hide her secrets from her friends, here she was giving it all away while she slept. Did she really have control over nothing? She couldn't deal with this right now.

"Kelly, wait!" Sabrina called after her. She got up and ran after her friend, taking hold of her arm and pulling Kelly around to face her.

She was startled when Kelly flinched and threw her other arm defensively up in front of her face as if expecting to be struck.

"Whoa! Hey, Kelly, I'm sorry." she stammered, releasing her immediately and taking a step back with her hands held up in surrender.

Kelly closed her eyes and berated herself furiously in her head for her completely unnecessary reaction. What in God's name was the matter with her? Why, all of a sudden, was she losing it?

"Bri- I didn't- I'm sorry-" she started weakly. The words died on her lips and unable to think of anything to say she gave up and lowered her head, reaching a hand up to cover her face in shame.

Sabrina looked at her friend with concern. That wasn't the first time Kelly had flinched at unexpected contact. Though she had gotten a little better with her and Jill, she still wasn't particularly comfortable with being touched, and tensed up as if she was unaccustomed to hugs or other displays of normal friendly affection.

She and Jill had talked about their concern for Kelly often. Kelly was detached, reserved, backed away easily from an argument, and belittled her accomplishments. She was gorgeous, yet when men came up to her, she politely avoided them. And then there were the strange incidents. Last month, she had exploded at Jill after she had gone into the closet to get out a broom and Jill had playfully closed the door behind her. She had apologized profusely to Jill afterwards for her outburst and had explained that she was claustrophobic. And just last week, she had accidentally knocked over and broken a picture frame of Sabrina's. Sabrina had laughed it off, but Kelly couldn't seem to understand that it was alright and she was forgiven. She had quickly thrown herself to the ground and picked up the glass with her bare hands, again apologizing much more than necessary. Sabrina had been unsettled by how worried and anxious Kelly seemed over the days following both incidents, as if she fully expected their friendship to be terminated at any moment over her actions. She and Jill had toyed with the suspicion of some kind of abuse in Kelly's past that would explain her low self esteem, guarded manner, and fear of expressing her feelings and opinions.

Kelly's fearful reaction to Sabrina pulling her arm was beginning to confirm those suspicions.

"Please don't leave. Come sit down, Kelly. Come on. Just stay with us, ok?" Sabrina coaxed softly. She reached out to take Kelly's hand, but changed her mind and let her arm drop by her side.

Defeated and embarrassed, Kelly obeyed and sat down on her bed with a moan, burying her face in her hands. Jill sat down next to her and draped a comforting arm around her shoulders while Sabrina kneeled in front of her. She gently pulled Kelly's hands away from her face and rested them on her lap.

"Talk to us, Kell." Jill said softly, reaching her hand under her friend's chin and gently tilting her head upwards to face her.

Kelly felt tears start to sting at her eyes. She had never been so humiliated. Uncomfortable with her friends' caring gestures, she pulled her head away from Jill to look down again.

Jill rubbed her back soothingly. "Come on, Kell. What's wrong? Talk to us."

Kelly lifted her head . She knew this moment might come sooner or later, but she had been secretly hoping she wouldn't have to discuss this with her friends until much later. Or not at all. But, there was no way out now. She owed them some sort of explanation. She braced herself for their reactions.

"I don't have a family." she admitted miserably. "Happy?"

"You don't?" Jill asked her. "What happened to them?"

Kelly shrugged. "I'm an orphan, I never knew them. I was abandoned on the steps of an orphanage in Dallas when I was a baby. Cliché, huh? " she explained, pulling her hands away from Sabrina's and wiping at her eyes, relieved that her tears had not escaped. At least she had some dignity left.

"Until you were eleven. Where did you go after that?" Sabrina asked, remembering Kelly's story and putting the pieces together.

"I was a foster kid."

"And you don't talk to the family that you lived with?"

Kelly let out a short laugh. "I must have lived in ten different foster homes. I was never at the same place long enough to get attached." she added evasively, purposely glossing over her traumatic experiences.

"You don't keep in touch with any of them anymore?" Jill asked.

Kelly shook her head. "No, I've been on my own since I was seventeen."

"Why didn't you tell us?" Sabrina questioned gently.

Kelly noticed that they were looking at her with pity in their eyes. She hated pity. Pity was for the weak.

"Because it's no big deal." Kelly said shrugging her shoulders. Her mask had slipped back into place.

"Where did you go for Thanksgiving?" Jill asked, narrowing her eyes at her friend.

"I just stayed here." Kelly answered.

"Then why did you pack?" Sabrina asked her, a puzzled look on her face.

Kelly gave her a rueful smile. "I was embarrassed, I wanted you guys to think I was going somewhere." she admitted.

Jill gave her a look of utter confusion. That made no sense at all to her. "Why didn't you just say something, you could have come home with me or Bri."

"It's ok, Jill, it's no big thing, really." Kelly answered her friend with a dismissive wave of her hand.

Sabrina and Jill looked at each other. This couldn't be the only reason for her behavior. Kelly was definately hiding something more from them, but at least this revelation explainined why their friend never talked about her family or childhood. It all made sense now. Kelly never received any mail, never left to visit anyone on weekends, never received or made phone calls, not even on her birthday, which she had let go by without saying anything. She danced around questions about her parents or childhood, with them realizing later that she had never given a straight answer. They were surprised they hadn't realized it sooner.

"Well, what are you going to do for Christmas? You're not staying here again, are you?" Jill asked turning back to look at her.

Kelly nodded.

"So that's why you didn't want to give Jill a phone number." Sabrina realized outloud.

"No way, Kell. You're coming home with me." Jill said firmly.

Kelly laughed. "No, it's ok, Jill. Really."

Sabrina made a face. "Don't stay here by yourself. Go with Jill. I'd invite you home with me too, except I'm staying at Bill's aunt's house." she said.

"I don't want to be anybody's charity case, I'm alright with staying here." Kelly said, shaking her head.

"You wouldn't be my charity case, Kelly." Jill said, a hurt look on her face. "I'm not like that. I want you to come because you're my friend. Not because I feel sorry for you."

"Jill, I didn't mean it like that, I'm sorry."

"So, you'll come?"

Kelly shook her head. "Look, you go be with your family, I don't want to be a burden. I'll be fine here. You can draw me a Christmas tree." she said, making a weak attempt at a joke.

Jill, for once, was not in the mood for joking. She wished her friend would stop her act. Why would she rather sit here alone than accept hospitality from a friend?

"How would you be a burden? I'm inviting you, and my mom has plenty of room, she loves guests." Jill went on, unwilling to accept Kelly's refusal of her offer.

"Jill, I don't want to be in the way. Christmas is a family holiday." Kelly argued.

"Well, you don't have a family. So you can borrow mine this Christmas." Jill said bluntly.

"Jill!" Sabrina cried reproachfully.

"What?" Jill replied. "I'm just saying."

Kelly pulled herself from Jill's embrace and stood up. Jill stood with her.

"Look, Jill, I appreciate it, I really do, but I'll be fine here." she said firmly, crossing her arms over her chest.

Jill wouldn't back down. There was something motivating this behavior.

"What are you afraid of Kelly?" she asked her.

Kelly opened her mouth to argue and then closed it again. Jill had nailed it. She was afraid. Afraid they wouldn't like her, afraid she'd be unwanted, and afraid that Jill would change her mind once she got there. Isolating herself had become her only form of protection through the years. She was the only one she could trust.

"You think you don't deserve to spend the holidays with other people?"

Kelly lowered her eyes and bit her lower lip.

Jill, sensing that she had struck a nerve, changed tactics.

"Come on, Kell. I just hate the idea of you sitting here by yourself for a week and a half. We could have a lot of fun."

"Go on, Kelly. It'll be fun. And I'll come out and see you guys after Christmas." Sabrina added.

Kelly hesitated. Now that she had become accustomed to having her two friends with her, it had been painfully lonely spending their Thanksgiving vacation by herself. The Christmas break was even longer to include New Year's. Maybe going with Jill wouldn't be so bad. She could always leave if it got too uncomfortable.

"Ok." Kelly said with a resigned sigh.

"Yay!" Jill whooped. She threw her arms around her friend and hugged her tightly.

Kelly pulled away and began blurting out a rapid fire list of expectations. "But if something happens or your mom can't take on anyone else, just tell me, I don't mind staying here, really, I don't want to be any trouble for her. Are you sure she even wants an extra person? You should call her tonight and make sure 'cause I really don't want to b-"

Giving her a look of bewildered amusement, Jill pressed her hand lightly against Kelly's lips to stop her babbling.

"Kell. It's fine." she said, biting back a laugh. She had never seen her cool and collected friend so nervous and jumpy. It was almost comical.

Kelly smiled weakly at her. "Thanks, Jill."

Jill grinned happily. "You better pack your stuff for real then. Except that ugly doll, leave her here."

Kelly laughed.

They shared another hug and then settled back down. Kelly put away her clothes, and Jill went back to doodling, and bored with her reading now, Sabrina sat next to her to watch her work. They sat in comfortable silence for a few minutes.

"Hey!" Jill exclaimed excitedly.

Kelly closed her sock drawer and looked up.

"If you combine our names together, you get Jelly!" Jill grinned.

Sabrina smiled and shook her head. "I can't wait till she's out protecting our streets."

"You're just jealous I discovered it first."

"Sure, Jill. It's all I can think about."

Kelly laughed as she thought about it. "Or Kill." she added thoughtfully. She gave Jill a mischievous look.

Jill laughed as a sock bounced off of her forehead again.


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter 25

December 23rd, 1974

Jill rolled her old pick up truck to a stop in the driveway of her mother's home on the outskirts of Los Angeles.

"Here we are. Home sweet home." she said brightly, shutting off the engine.

Kelly nodded her head and looked silently at the charming little home in front of her. Her stomach was knotting painfully, making her wish she had skipped lunch. Not hearing a response, Jill turned and looked at her.

"Hey, don't be nervous. My mom and sister will love you. C'mon." she said, picking up on her friend's uncertainty.

"I'm not nervous." Kelly lied pathetically. She was extremely nervous and had regretted her decision to come home with Jill the moment she had gotten into her truck. The entire trip she had been worrying about what would happen during this ten day long vacation. Would Jill's family be just like Jill? Would they resent her for intruding on a family gathering? Would they like her? How could she get back to the barracks if they didn't?

Jill gave her a reassuring smile and pushed open her door. She stepped out of the truck and walked around to the bed to grab their things. She looked up to toss Kelly her bag and was confused when she didn't see her. Sighing to herself, she walked over to the passenger door and knocked on the window. Kelly was still sitting inside staring at the front door. She jumped at the loud sudden noise. Laughing, Jill pulled the door open.

"Santa doesn't visit trucks. You coming?" she said with an understanding grin.

Kelly gave her a weak smile. "Sorry, yeah. I'm coming." she said, unbuckling her seat belt.

"Don't worry, my family doesn't bite. Except Kris, but I told Mom to make sure to keep her leashed and muzzled. It shouldn't be a problem." Jill joked, handing Kelly her bag.

Kelly gave her a half hearted smile as she took it and got out of the truck. She followed Jill much too closely all the way to the front door. Jill turned around and gave her an amused look.

"Kell, relax. You'll be fine." she said gently, clapping her on the shoulder. She knew Kelly was shy around new people, but this kind of fear wasn't normal. It was strange to see her friend so anxious and jumpy about something that would have been no big deal to most other people. She wished she knew why.

Jill fumbled with her keys for a moment then selected one and slid it into the lock. She frowned as she noticed something, then pushed on the door. It creaked open slightly. It hadn't been locked. She turned to Kelly and rolled her eyes as she opened the door wide enough for them to enter and walked inside. Kelly followed her like a shadow.

Kelly looked around the cozy little house as she entered. They were standing in the living room, which was tastefully decorated with comfortable looking brown wicker couches, beige shag carpeting and a glass coffee table. Pictures hung on the walls and adorned the mantel of the fireplace. A fire was crackling cheerfully in the hearth. The room gave off a warm and inviting atmosphere.

Kelly was terrified.

"Mom!" Jill called out, dumping her bag on the ground. "What did I tell you about leaving the door unlocked! Any crazy person could just waltz right in here!"

A blonde girl poked her head into the room from a connecting hallway.

"Too late, one just did." she said to Jill with a grin.

Jill laughed and threw her arms open. The blonde girl ran into her arms, knocking both of them into the closed front door. Kelly backed away uncertainly, not wanting to interfere with their joyful reunion.

"Hey kid, I've missed you!" Jill cried happily, swinging the girl back and forth in her arms.

"Me too!" she giggled back. Kelly decided that this girl must be Jill's younger sister, Kris. She watched the two sisters with amusement. Kris was just as beautiful as her older sister, with the same wavy blonde hair and blue eyes. While not as tall as Jill, she was just as slender and athletic looking. Kris was nineteen and according to Jill, had just completed her first semester of college at San Francisco State. Kelly had been surprised to learn that Jill was putting her little sister through school.

"Oh!" Jill cried suddenly, pulling away from her sister and turning to Kelly. "This is my friend, Kelly Garrett. Kelly, this is my sister Kris."

Kelly smiled and gave Kris a little wave. "Hi, nice to meet you." she said politely.

Kris bounced over and extended her hand. "Hi! Jill has told me a lot about you. Glad you could come down to spend the holidays with us." she said, a beaming smile on her face. Kelly shook her hand and smiled back. Kris was just as friendly as her sister was.

"Oh, are they here? Why didn't anyone tell me?" a female voice shouted from the hallway. The three girls turned to look.

An older, chubbier, gray haired version of Jill suddenly bustled into the room.

"Hi, Mom!" Jill shouted brightly.

"Jilly Bean!" her mother cried out happily upon seeing her oldest daughter.

Jill's face turned bright red as her mother threw her arms around her, kissed her forehead and squeezed her tight.

"How is my big policewoman doing?" she crooned, rocking Jill.

"Mooom." Jill whined. Her mother released her and turned around, hunting for Kelly. She found her standing awkwardly a few feet away and smiled broadly.

"And this must be Kelly." she said warmly, approaching her. Kelly smiled uncertainly and stuck out her hand, remembering her introduction to Kris and hoping to make a good first impression on her hostess.

Jill's mother ignored it and wrapped her arms around Kelly, who stiffened, still holding her arm out with a surprised look on her face.

"Helen Munroe. So nice to have you here with us." she introduced herself, holding Kelly out at arms length. "Oh, what pretty green eyes you have." she said brightly, stroking the side of Kelly's face, much to her chagrin. "My grandfather had green eyes just like yours. Oh, you're just lovely. Such a pretty girl." she gushed. Kelly stammered her thanks awkwardly and blushed.

To her immense relief, Jill came to her rescue.

"Mom, quit smothering her. You're freaking her out." she said tapping her mother on the shoulder.

Helen smiled apologetically at Kelly and released her. "I'm sorry, dear. It's just so good to have my girls back home and it's been so long since Jill has brought home a friend."

Kris snickered loudly and Jill shot her a dirty look.

"Why don't you girls take your things into your old room Jill, there's two beds in there now. You can stay in there with Kelly. Dinner's almost ready and then I thought we could decorate the tree. Unless of course you already have plans. Do you have plans?" she asked sweetly, tilting her head at the three girls.

Both Kelly and Kris immediately turned to Jill.

"No, Mom. That sounds great." Jill answered for them. She gave her mother a kiss on the cheek and motioned for Kelly to follow her.

"Jillian, take our guest's bag! Where are your manners?" Helen scolded her daughter gently.

"Oh, I can carry m-" Kelly started to protest, but Jill snatched her bag away.

"Yes, mother." Jill said with a grin. Completely baffled by Helen's gracious treatment of a total stranger, Kelly shoved her now useless hands into her pockets and followed Jill down the hallway to a small bedroom. Jill tossed their bags down on one of the beds and looked up at her friend.

"See? My family is only marginally terrifying. They like you." she said to Kelly flashing her a smile. She held out Kelly's bag.

Kelly took it from her and set it on the other bed. She smiled back gratefully.

"Thanks, Jilly Bean."

Jill moaned.

"Oh, just don't tell Sabrina, huh? I'll never hear the end of it."

Kelly gave her a coy grin. She took a look around the room. Trophies, ribbons and slightly outdated posters of sports stars decorated the walls. A Roy Rogers and Trigger wind up toy sat in a seeming place of honor on a shelf amongst rows of books. That made sense, Jill was a self described tomboy in her youth. Besides the two beds, there was a dresser and a nightstand. Two framed pictures sat on the nightstand. One of them had two little girls at the beach hugging each other and grinning at the camera. The other had a little girl about six years old laughing excitedly and dressed as a bumblebee. It was hilariously obvious that her wings were made out of pantyhose and twisted wire hangers. Kelly burst into a fit of giggles at the younger versions of Jill and her sister. Hearing her laughter, Jill wandered over to see what was so entertaining.

"Oh, God." she moaned when she saw the pictures. "She does these things on purpose. My mother is a disturbed woman."

Kelly giggled and pointed to the bumblebee Jill. "Look how cute you were. No wonder you spend so much time on your hair. How can you possibly top this?"she teased.

Jill elbowed her playfully. "I thought I had all of those destroyed years ago. The fifties were not a good decade for me, style wise." she joked. She took a closer look at the bumblebee picture. "Oh, I have candy smeared all over my face. How attractive. Parents do these things on purpose with the intent of embarrassing you later, I swear. These pictures were in the attic when I left home."

Kelly laughed. Her smile then suddenly faded away. She had only three pictures of herself when she was younger. Sister Katherine had given her a black and white picture of herself as an infant to keep when she had been adopted. She had one from her eleventh birthday party and one in her track uniform in high school. No one had really cared about her enough to take her picture growing up.

Kris suddenly appeared in the doorway interrupting Kelly's depressing thoughts.

"Hey, Mom says to come get the table ready." she announced. She noticed the picture in Jill's hand before Jill could hide it behind her back.

"Busy Bee!" she cried with a laugh. She snatched it from Jill and took a closer look. "I remember this! It was Halloween, or at least I hope it was. What's that all over your face?" she asked, studying the photo closely.

"Shame." Jill answered simply. "Oh don't forget to show Kelly the picture of us right there. The one Pop took where you have no front teeth and you look like a toothless little troll." She pinched her sister's cheek. "I'm sure she'd love to see it."

Kris looked at the remaining picture frame and paled.

"Oh, God." she moaned, a pained expression on her face as she eyed the picture with disdain. She looked up at Kelly. "I remember putting these in the attic last summer. Does your mother do this to you too?"

"No." Kelly said forcing herself to smile. It was the truth.

"Lucky." Kris sighed, setting down Busy Bee Jill.

"Let's get to the kitchen before Mom starts yelling." Jill offered quickly. She studied Kelly as they walked, wondering if she had taken offense to her sister's comment. If she had, it didn't show. But then again, Kelly rarely displayed her emotions so openly. She mentally kicked herself for not telling Kris beforehand.

The three girls crowded into the kitchen, where Helen was pulling something out of the oven.

"Oh good! Kelly, you sit down, honey. Jill and Kris set the table." she called out.

Kelly stood helplessly while Jill and Kris obediently split into two different directions leaving her standing alone in the kitchen. Not wanting to sit down by herself, she tried to help.

"Can I do something, Mrs. Munroe?" she offered meekly.

Helen looked up and smiled at her. "Aren't you sweet? No, no they'll get it. They work quickly. Just have a seat, dear. Why don't you pour yourself a glass of tea?"

Kelly smiled and backed out of the kitchen.

Anxious to be useful, she wandered into the dining room to help Jill and Kris. The sisters were standing in a corner apparently in the middle of a hushed conversation. The table was beautifully set already. Kelly did a double take. It had been less than a minute. How?

Jill looked up as she came in and immediately stopped talking.

"Hey, Kell!" Jill cried out a bit too loudly. Kris had her back to Kelly and turned at Jill's announcement of her arrival.

"All done in here. Hey Kris, we forgot the special plate." Jill said taking her sister's arm.

Kris looked at her in confusion. "What pl-" she started. Jill cut her off.

"Come help me get it. We'll be right back, Kell." she said dragging her baffled sister away.

Kelly watched the sisters leave and rubbed her temples. She had interrupted them while they had been talking about her, she was certain. Jill was probably informing Kris of her situation and topics that she should avoid around her. How embarrassing.

Jill and Kris returned a moment later, the mysterious plate completely forgotten. Kris gave Kelly an apologetic, pitying smile. Kelly smiled back politely and looked away. She felt her cheeks get hot. There was that pity she hated so much. Luckily, Helen came in at that moment with a platter of sliced turkey and roasted potatoes.

"Here we go, start serving girls. Kris, go fetch the salad and bread please. Jill, go get drinks for everyone." she ordered, setting down the platter in the middle of the table. Kelly's eyes went wide. No wonder Jill was such a big eater. It looked amazing.

Dinner conversation was light and cheerful. Kelly sat quietly watching Jill and her family talk and contributed to the conversation only when spoken to. She was a little annoyed with herself, being a grown woman and future cop, yet still struggling with the same insecurities around new people she had when she was a little girl. Jill was very perceptive though, and was quick to include her in the conversation to keep her from getting too uncomfortable.

As the family talked, she began to notice similarities between them. It was interesting how they were so different, yet so much alike. Kris wasn't nearly as blunt or outgoing as Jill, but she had a certain charm about her and shared her sister's odd sense of humor. Helen was nearly identical to Jill in both looks and mannerisms. It was almost unsettling. She remembered Jill telling her that her father, a life long alcoholic, had passed away from a heart attack when she was in high school. From the pictures in the living room, Kris more closely resembled him. She had been amazed at how freely Jill talked about her father and his battle with alcoholism. Jill unsurprisingly seemed to be the loud one in the family, she noticed. Kelly had expected her family to be more like her and was surprised to see that Jill wasn't the norm.

Jill probably wasn't the norm anywhere, she reasoned to herself.

She listened to the Munroes talk and bicker all at once. They sound like chickens, she thought to herself with a grin. They were arguing about something Helen had insisted Jill did when she was a teenager. Jill was desperately trying to convince her mother that it had been Kris. The Munroe's argued and teased each other lightheartedly until Jill finally remembered that it indeed had been her who was to blame and gave up her fight while Kris laughed triumphantly. Kelly felt a pang of sadness and guilt as she watched them. She didn't belong here. She was enjoying herself, but having grown up in abusive and neglectful homes, she felt ridiculously out of place in the loving family.

"Are you finished already, Kelly?" Helen asked suddenly, bringing Kelly back to earth.

Kelly looked up. "Oh, yes Ma'am. It was very good, thank you." she said politely. She hadn't heaped her plate nearly as high as Jill and Kris had and had naturally finished first. Though not by much.

Helen frowned. "That's all you're going to eat? Are you feeling alright, honey?"

She pressed the back of her hand against Kelly's forehead.

"Oh, no I'm not sick. I'm just done eating." Kelly stammered awkwardly.

Helen gave her a look of concern then leaned forward and started scooping more food onto Kelly's plate.

Kelly looked to Jill for help, but her friend only laughed silently at her.

"You're too thin." Helen said, patting Kelly's cheek. "Do you get enough to eat at the academy? Does Jill eat all of your food?"

Kelly cocked her head, wondering if she was serious about her question.

"You can't be shy around these two or you'll starve to death." Helen commented as she reloaded Kelly's plate. "They eat everything. I was afraid to get them a pet when they were kids." she said solemnly.

Satisfied with her guest's plate, she sat back in her chair and smiled at Kelly, hoping her motherly pearl of wisdom had done some good.

Kelly smiled back awkwardly and thanked her friend's mother. Raising an eyebrow at Jill, she picked up her fork again. Jill shrugged and grinned at her as she reached for a second helping of turkey.

When dinner was finished, Helen dragged a huge box of ornaments out from the garage and set them to work decorating the tree. Kelly felt a rush of childish excitement. She had never been allowed to decorate a tree at the orphanages or any of her foster homes and was looking forward to it with glee. Grown women couldn't act that way however, so she did her best to be nonchalant as she helped Kris open the box and spread out the beautiful Christmas ornaments.

She failed.

"Oh I need to set out these Christmas cards." Helen said, examining a thick stack of folded cards.

She flipped through them and frowned.

"Oh, Grandma Holcombe is losing her mind. Merry Christmas, from Grandma. On a Get Well Soon card."

Jill and Kris laughed. Kelly wanted to, but wasn't sure if she should.

"Oh, and this one is from Aunt Marilyn. How nice."

Jill turned to Kelly. "Yes, Marilyn Munroe. With a U. She still gets fan mail. Once in awhile she answers them, just for fun." she explained with a laugh.

"Bitter old woman." Helen muttered under her breath

She set out the Christmas cards decoratively wherever she could find room, while the girls wrapped the Christmas tree in lights. Kelly's eyes shone brightly, she could hardly contain her excitement. She felt like a little kid and was having the time of her life.

"Jill, go put on a Christmas record. We need some mood music." Helen suggested. Jill obeyed and went to the record player. Moments later Queen blasted into the living room.

Helen sighed contentedly. "Thank you, sweetheart."

Kelly tried to conceal her amusement. She wondered if Sabrina's family was this interesting.

The four women happily decorated the Christmas tree. Jill was trying to spell her name with the candy canes and bright red balls as she did every year, and Kelly was having a blast, her deprived inner child thrilled at finally being able to handle the pretty ornaments like she had always wanted to. Taking notice, Kris silently caught her mother and sister's attention and the three of them shared a bemused smile at the huge silly looking grin that was plastered across Kelly's face.

"Aw, how cute." Jill mouthed silently to her mother and sister. They concealed their giggling, so Kelly wouldn't notice and become self conscious.

Helen paused a moment to watch her excited guest. Jill had told her of Kelly's situation and her suspicions about her past the day before they had arrived and it broke her heart. She smiled tenderly at her, though Kelly was oblivious.

A loud crunch made them look up from their decorating.

"Aw, damn. I'm sorry, Mom. I didn't see it." Kris groaned. She had stepped on and shattered a glass ornament. She stooped over to pick up the pieces. Kelly held her breath and glanced nervously at Helen, wondering how she would handle it.

"Oh, Kristine, watch your language." she chided gently. "Be careful now, don't cut your fingers. Kris, get some gloves on before you cut yourself." Helen said, watching her daughter with concern.

"I got it, Mom. I'll vacuum the rest. I'm sorry about the ornament."

"It's ok, sweetheart."

Kris skipped away to get the vacuum and Helen and Jill calmly returned to their decorating.

That was the end of it. No yelling, no insults, no violence. Kelly was astounded. She vividly recalled being beaten unconscious with a skillet by James Hanover for breaking an expensive china plate while getting ready for Thanksgiving dinner. It hadn't really been her fault, Candace Hanover had carelessly run into her as she carried the stack of plates to the table. Nevertheless, Kelly was blamed and punished harshly. That incident had barred her from participating in the family dinner, and she awoke ankles and wrists bound with clothesline, in the hallway closet. She screamed, her cries muffled by the rolled up shirt Hanover had gagged her with, into the empty house until she was hoarse, unaware that her foster parents had left hours ago. An anxiety attack overcame her and she had been sick for days afterwards. Kelly shuddered at the painful memory and pushed it away. Why couldn't she have been placed in a family like Jill's when she was a kid? She shook her head in wonder at the drastic contrast.

By the time Christmas came, Kelly had become much more at ease with Jill's family and had finally been able to let her guard down and relax. Thinking back, Kelly could only remember one other happy Christmas in her life, when she had been six and briefly adopted. Christmas at the Catholic orphanages had been more of a holy day than a celebration. She hadn't even been allowed out of her room during her one Christmas with the Hanovers, partly as punishment carried over from Thanksgiving and to avoid prying questions from their family and friends. She had sat alone in her room whistfully listening to the party, blaming herself for her seclusion and nursing a busted lip and bruised face, injuries received for being in the way. Every time she heard someone approach her room she waited eagerly, hoping to be invited out. She never was. Other foster homes, where she had been allowed to participate in festivities, it had been tense and awkward with her largely ignored and feeling like an unwanted burden. She had even been left alone for the better part of a week while one family she was with went on vacation. It would have cost too much to bring her along.

Christmas had always been an unhappy time, a depressing reminder of what she could never have, and she had been content to stay in her apartment alone the past few years, not even bothering to get a tree or decorations. She couldn't afford them, anyway. The most celebrating she'd done was to walk around the neighborhood and look at the decorated homes. Christmas with the Munroes however, ended up being the happiest Christmas in her life.

Could it always be this way? She was too scared to allow herself to think that it could. For now, she would just live for the moment and enjoy her temporary good fortune.

With such a happy Christmas behind her, she found herself eagerly anticipating New Year's Eve. Gatherings of families and friends coupled with her foster parents' inclinations to drink heavily, had also made this a holiday to be dreaded. This year would be different though, she was sure.

New Year's Eve was tomorrow and Sabrina and Bill were going to come celebrate it with them. Jill had promised everyone a good time.

"You know, Kelly, we didn't really get to give you a party for your twenty first." she had said, her eyes twinkling merrily.

Overhearing her daughter's plotting, Helen Munroe wisely made plans to be elsewhere on New Year's Eve.

Kelly had just laughed. She hadn't told them when her birthday was until it was weeks past. It had never been a big deal growing up, so she hadn't thought to mention it. Jill would probably want to get her drunk tomorrow night. Late that night, Kelly, Jill, and Kris were hanging out in Jill's old room excitedly planning out tomorrow night's festivities.

"So Sabrina and Loverboy will be here around 8:00. I figure we can make something simple and eat here. I have some champagne in the freezer and we can drink and watch the fireworks. Sound good?" Jill asked

"You have champagne?" Kris asked excitedly.

"Yes I do. But you can't have any." Jill said quickly.

Kris frowned. "Oh come on Jill, we'll be here at home." she whined.

"No."

"Jill! You barely turned twenty one in April! You used to drink all the time before that!"

"Kris, you are in the company of two officers of the law." Jill said to her sister with a grin.

"Not yet!" Kris grinned back, swatting Jill playfully with her pillow. Jill pulled it away from her.

"We do not condone underage drinking." she said putting on a haughty face and sitting on her sister's pillow.

Kelly watched them with amusement. It would have been nice to have had a sister growing up.

"That sounds good, Jill." she said with a yawn. It was after midnight, and she was tired.

Seeing her yawn made Jill and Kris yawn as well. They giggled at the phenomenon.

"Ok, I'm going to bed." Kris announced, hopping off of Jill's bed and yanking her pillow out from under her sister. Jill toppled backwards into Kelly's lap and laughed.

"Goodnight, Kelly" Kris said pleasantly, as she stepped through the doorway.

"Hey, what about me?" Jill called after her.

Kris poked her head back in the room. "What about you?" she grinned at her sister and disappeared.

Jill smiled and shook her head. "Little punk." she said affectionately as she sat up again.

Kelly laughed. "She's great, Jill."

Jill nodded. "Sometimes. She's gonna be a great teacher I think."

"Is that what she's going to school for?" Kelly asked.

Jill nodded again. "Yup, she's always been great with kids, it'll be perfect for her."

Kelly giggled. "Then maybe she can teach you a few things."

Jill grinned at her friend. "If I didn't know better, I'd say you two are picking on me."

The two shared a laugh.

"Ok, Garrett, I think we had better be getting to bed too." Jill said as she yawned again.

Kelly agreed and the two climbed into their beds and were soon fast asleep.

Hours later, Kelly opened her eyes. Someone was shaking her. She rolled over and saw Jill's face in front of hers.

"Jill?" she asked groggily. She looked to the window and saw it was still dark outside.

"Hey, scoot over." Jill whispered.

Confused, Kelly lifted her head up and looked at her friend. "What are you doing?"

"Can I sleep in your bed?" Jill whispered urgently.

Still puzzled, Kelly scooted over to let her in, "What's wrong with yours?" she muttered sleepily.

"I wet my bed."

Kelly sat straight up.

" No, no, no!" Jill explained quickly after a beat, realizing what she had just said. "Not like that! I mean I spilled water all over my bed."

Kelly shook her head and started snickering quietly to herself as Jill got comfortable next to her and settled down.

"Thanks, Kell. Goodnight." Jill whispered and closed her eyes.

Amused at her friends apparent lack of a need for personal space, Kelly sighed and laid back down under the covers. If it had been her, she probably would have just slept in the water, she thought with a smile. She listened to Jill's steady breathing and let herself drift off again.

They awoke early the next morning and set about getting ready for the day.

"Hey, sorry for crowding you last night." Jill apologized as they dressed. "I got up to get a glass of water and took it back to put on the night stand, only I slipped and spilled it all over my bed."

Kelly laughed again, remembering the incident from last night. "It's ok, Jill. I like being kicked all night." she teased.

Jill smiled weakly at her, but let her smile slip away as she pursed her lips.

"Hey, Kelly?" she asked quietly. "Have you been having more nightmares lately?"

Kelly froze.

"No, I don't think so." she lied. While the frequency of her nightmares had diminished since starting at the police academy, she actually still had them more often than not. She didn't think about them much during the day, so nighttime was when Beemish, the Hanovers, Derek, Bobby and Sergeant Bradford all took turns paying her visits.

"You had one last night." Jill said softly. She was studying Kelly with a strange expression on her face.

Kelly swallowed hard. "I did?" she asked, forcing her tone to be light.

"Yeah, it must have been really bad." Jill told her. Kelly had cried and whimpered in her sleep all last night and had woken Jill with her constant tossing and turning. Not wanting to wake her for fear she'd be embarrassed, Jill had tried stroking her hair and rubbing her back to calm her, but nothing seemed to work. Kelly's cries and thrashing had grown more and more frantic as the night went on and she had whimpered out a name through her pitiful sobs. Because Jill had been so close to her this time, she had been able to make out fragments of what Kelly was saying in her sleep. What she had pieced together made her skin crawl. Deeply concerned, she had protectively wrapped her arms around her tormented friend and held her close to comfort her, shushing her gently like one would a child, until Kelly had finally relaxed. Jill wondered how her friend ever got any rest at night.

Jill cleared her throat. "Who's Derek, Kelly?"

Kelly's stomach turned at the mention of his name. She felt like someone had dumped a bucket of ice water over her head.

"I don't know." she lied. Her voice betrayed her. It was shaky and unsure.

"Whoever he is, you're pretty scared of him." Jill pressed. "You wanna talk about it?"

"I don't know any Derek, it was just a bad dream, Jill." she lied again. It sounded like a lie even to her and she knew Jill was very good at reading people.

"Sometimes, when you talk about it, it makes it better." Jill told her with an encouraging smile.

Kelly gave a derisive laugh before she could catch herself. What Derek had done to her couldn't be made better.

"Talk to me, Kelly. I know somethings bothering you. It's more than just you not having a family. I don't mean to pry, I just want to know if I can help. Are you in trouble? Did someone hurt you?" she asked seriously, sitting down next to Kelly.

Kelly swallowed hard. Jill was much more perceptive than she had given her credit for.

"Jill, you don't even want to know, trust me." she pleaded.

"I wish you would trust me, Kell." Jill countered.

"I do trust you." Kelly argued weakly. She wanted to, but it was just so hard.

"Then talk to me Kelly. What's going on?"

"You don't want to know, Jill."

Jill put a comforting hand on her shoulder. "I want to know, if knowing will let me help you." she said softly.

Kelly shook her head. If Jill found out about her troubled past, she would hate her for sure.

"Just let it go Jill, please let it go." Kelly pleaded again feeling tears sting her eyes. Why did her past keep coming up just as she was moving on with her life and starting to be happy. Why couldn't she just leave it behind?

"Ok, Kelly. But, I just hate seeing you like this. If you need some kind of help, you know you can ask me or Sabrina right? We love you, Kelly." Jill told her, taking hold of her hands.

Kelly hitched a breath. She couldn't even remember hearing those words in all of her twenty one years and they hit her hard, sending her already fragile mixed emotions over the edge. Overcome, she quickly turned away and broke down.

Wondering what she had done wrong, Jill drew her into a hug, letting Kelly bury her face in her shoulder, gently stroking her hair. After a moment, Kelly suddenly jerked away, feeling embarrassed by her display of weakness. She stood up and turned her back to Jill, trying to get herself under control.

"Jill, I'm sorry, I didn't me-" she started to apologize. Jill cut her off.

"No, I'm sorry, Kelly." Jill said uneasily. She was taken aback, she had never seen Kelly cry while she was awake. She had always seemed so tough. For a moment, she had thought Kelly was finally going to confide in her. Something was deeply troubling her and Jill felt she had gotten so close to knowing what it was before Kelly had again put up a wall between them. Though she desperately wanted to help her friend, she knew she needed to give her some space or she would risk losing her. "Hey, I'll stop pushing you. If you ever feel like talking about it then let me know, ok?"

Kelly nodded.

Jill tried to brighten up. "Come on, lets go get some breakfast. I'm starving."


	26. Chapter 26

Chapter 26

December 31st, 1974

"Is that them?" Kris asked as she stood and pointed out the window to the car driving up the street.

Jill looked in the direction she was pointing. "I have no clue, they're probably in Bill's car and I've never seen it. Does it look like Sabrina inside?"

Kris rolled her eyes. "I don't know Jill, I've never met her." she said patiently.

Jill shoved her out of the way and to get a better look.

"Oh, I can't tell." she muttered in an irritated voice.

"Why don't we see if it stops in front of the house and Bill and Sabrina are in it. That might be a clue." Kelly offered with an amused grin.

Jill and Kris looked at each other.

"I liked her better when she didn't talk." Kris joked, giving Kelly a wink.

Kelly laughed, having already opened up to Kris.

The car slowed as it neared the house and parked by the curb. Sabrina hopped out of the passenger seat and slammed the door. She didn't look happy. A good looking man in his mid twenties with curly brown hair got out from the driver's side and watched her walk up the driveway. He waited until she was halfway up and then followed. They looked like they had been fighting.

"Looks like trouble in paradise." Kelly murmured to Jill and Kris. They nodded silently.

As Sabrina neared the door, the three girls scrambled away from the window that they had been looking out of. Jill stood in front of the door and Kelly and Kris stood behind her, as if they had just casually gotten up off the couch to answer her knock.

A few seconds later, Sabrina knocked at the door and Jill yanked it open immediately. Kelly and Kris looked at each other and shook their heads.

"Hey, Bri!" Jill greeted happily.

Sabrina still had her fist raised in the air. Her moody expression instantly brightened as she saw her two friends standing in front of her.

"Hey, guys! Oh, this must be Kris." she said happily. Bill arrived behind her and did his best not to look out of place.

"Hi, nice to meet you." Kris greeted Sabrina as she reached around Kelly and Jill to shake her hand.

"You too. Jill's told us all about you." Sabrina said to her, shaking her hand and entering the house.

Kris smiled and looked at her sister. "Well, I'm not sure what to think about that."

The girls laughed. Bill stood awkwardly outside, his entry blocked by the mob of girls.

Finally remembering him, Sabrina took his hand, pulled him inside and closed the door behind him.

"This is Bill Duncan, my fiance. He's a detective at the L.A.P.D., ladies, so maybe he can put in a good word for us when we graduate, can't you, honey?" Sabrina announced with a forced smile on her face.

Sabrina introduced Bill to everyone. Kelly stared at him. He seemed familiar, but she couldn't place his face. She shrugged it off.

She wouldn't have shrugged it off so quickly, however, if she had seen the way his jaw had dropped in shock when he saw her through the open door. He would never forget her face.

"So, what do you say we start this party by getting something to eat?" Jill announced, getting everyones' attention.

The group ambled over into the kitchen, where the girls had set out an assortment of deli meats, cheeses, dips, vegetables, and breads. With food on their plates, they went to the dining room to eat. Kelly noticed with dismay that Sabrina and Bill hadn't said a word to each other since she had introduced him. She hoped everything was ok.

The group talked cheerfully while they ate, the girls relating stories of their training and Kris from her semester away from home. Bill sat quietly, looking over at Kelly every few seconds. She hadn't noticed.

Finally, he couldn't hold his secret in any longer.

"It's good to see you on the right side of the law."

Kelly turned her head to look at him.

"What?" she asked cautiously. She started to get an uneasy feeling in her stomach.

"Been stealing anymore cars lately?" he asked, raising his eyebrows and grinning at her.

Kelly's eyes widened in shock. It suddenly hit her where she knew Bill. He was the young gullible cop she had tricked when she had been arrested several years prior. Oh, Jesus Christ.

Conversation came to a dead halt.

"What?" Sabrina asked a smile forming on her face.

Kelly felt her face get hot. She looked around the table at her friends. They were all looking at her with puzzled expressions on their faces.

"Me and Kelly have met before." Bill said with a sly grin on his face. "A few years ago."

Kelly shot him a pleading look, but oblivious to the distress he was causing her, Bill continued.

"I was her arresting officer. That was my rookie year on the force." he added thoughtfully.

"Arrested? Kelly? Our Kelly?" Sabrina echoed in amazement. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"Yeah, Kelly's a girl scout." Jill added.

"Don't tell them!" Kelly mouthed silently. She could feel the situation rapidly slipping out of her control.

"What? They don't know?" Bill asked with a laugh. He didn't realize how much he was upsetting her, he just enjoyed telling this story. Sensitivity had never been his greatest asset.

"Oh my God, Kelly, is that true?" Jill asked in awe.

Kelly looked down at her plate and fidgeted nervously.

Bill laughed. "It wasn't funny at the time, but this girl hotwires and steals a BMW sportscar and takes it racing. Against a Porsche. I swear to God, we were doing over a hundred on the highway trying to catch them. "

"Bill, please-" Kelly started, but with an audience eating out of his hand, he couldn't help himself.

"The only reason we catch her is because she runs out of gas out on this country road, and I run up to her and she tells me that this guy had carjacked her. And I believed it like the rookie I was. You should have seen her!Man, what a show!" he crowed excitedly.

"Please, stop-" Kelly whispered urgently to him grabbing a hold of his sleeve.

By this time, everyone else had picked up on Kelly's horrified expression and the cheerful atmosphere quickly turned tense and awkward.

Still oblivious and enjoying the story that he told so often, Bill went on.

"So we catch on finally and arrest her and throw her in the back of the pol-"

"Shut up!" Kelly suddenly shouted scraping her chair back and leaping to her feet. She stood glaring wild eyed at him, shoulders heaving.

Bill looked surprised. "Hey, sorry, I was just telling the story. It's a funny story, that's all." he said leaning away from her.

Her anger faded as quickly as it came. Kelly looked nervously around the table. Everyone was staring at her in shock.

"I'm sorry" she mumbled weakly, and turning she quickly walked out of the room.

She needed some air. Kelly walked out the front door and headed down the street. She could not believe what had just happened. Memories of that horrible night resurfaced painfully bringing with it the overwhelming shame and guilt. Bill hadn't been there for the accident but surely someone would have told him. Why would he bring up something so horrible? Was he doing it on purpose to pay her back for embarrassing him? Of all the people in the world, she runs into the one man who arrested her when she was seventeen on the worst night of her life. And he was marrying her friend. She should have moved out of Los Angeles before joining a police force. She had been so careful in keeping her criminal past from her friends for the past four months and in less than a minute, it was all out in the open. While she sat helpless, unable to stop it. She decided to head for the bus stop. Jill could bring her things back. There was no way she could go back and face them.

"Kelly!"

Kelly turned around to see Sabrina running down the street after her. She was tempted to keep walking, but she stopped and let her catch up.

"Hey, are you ok?" Sabrina asked grabbing her arms. "I'm so sorry about Bill, he can be a real jackass sometimes."

"It's ok. I'm sorry I yelled at him." Kelly answered quietly. She couldn't look at her friend.

"He tells that story all the time. Was that really you?" Sabrina asked. She was looking at Kelly like she had never seen her before.

"Yeah." Kelly responded miserably. "Look, I'm not proud of what I did, I just want to forget about it, ok?"

Sabrina nodded. "Sure, Kelly." She threw an arm over Kelly's shoulder to lead her back towards the house.

Kelly shrugged her arm off.

"You can go on back, I think I'll stay out here for awhile."

Sabrina studied her friend. Kelly looked badly shaken. Was there more to the story than Bill was aware of? Maybe Kelly would tell her later tonight after Bill went home.

"C'mon Kell, come back inside with us, it's cold out here. And you shouldn't be walking around at night by yourself." she pleaded gently.

"I'll be fine, I can take care of myself." Kelly said. She tried to summon a smile to take the sting off of her words but failed.

Sabrina wasn't bothered. " I know you can, but there's no reason to. C'mon Kelly, I hate when you do this." she pleaded.

Kelly turned around with a puzzled expression on her face.

"Do what?"

Sabrina threw her hands in the air and laughed. "This. Isolate yourself. Punish yourself. And why? Because you yelled at Bill? Everyone yells at Bill. He's fine. Now come back in the house. I'm freezing out here."

Kelly stared at Sabrina. She didn't have a response for that. She bit her lip instead.

Sabrina took her silence as a refusal and sighed in exasperation. "Kelly, c'mon. Don't do this. Every time something upsets you, you push us away. Jill was about to throw you in a sack to get you to come out here for the holidays, so you wouldn't be lonely. I don't doubt for a minute that she would have, either. C'mon Kelly, you were so ashamed about being alone in life and now every chance you get you push your friends away and run off to be by yourself. It's like your determined to be alone. Aren't you tired of it? "

Kelly opened her mouth to respond but the scathing comment escaped her. She ran her hand through her hair. Sabrina was right. Blunt, but right. She had been alone for so long, it was hard to let anyone else in. No one could hurt her when she was alone and it was easy to revert back to her withdrawn and secluded state whenever she felt threatened. But Sabrina looked so genuinely concerned and she had no reason to doubt her friend's sincerity. Sabrina and Jill had been nothing but good to her since they met.

Fighting her instincts, she decided to trust Sabrina.

"I'm sorry. You're right, Bri." Kelly sighed as she stepped towards her friend.

Sabrina smiled and gave her a quick hug.

"Don't be sorry. Just come inside, ok? I think my fingers are turning blue here."

Kelly nodded and Sabrina grinned and linked arms with her in a friendly forgiving gesture. And just in case she changed her mind again.

"We don't think badly of you for what you did, you know that, right?" Sabrina explained as they walked.

Kelly didn't answer. Sabrina frowned at her friend's silence.

"Don't be so hard on yourself, Kell, you were just a kid. We all did stupid stuff when we were kids. That was actually a pretty funny story." she consoled.

Kelly nodded at her friend, but couldn't bring herself to say anything. If only Sabrina knew, she wouldn't be so quick to talk. They reached the front door and walked back inside. Sabrina stopped her right before they got to the dining room.

"You sure you're ok?" she asked, giving Kelly's cheek a friendly pat.

"Yeah, I'm just embarrassed." Kelly admitted, finding her voice.

"Hey, don't be. It was a long time ago, no one cares about it now."

Kelly nodded. She was still a bit shaken by the sudden rush of memories that had been locked away for so long.

Sabrina gave her a reassuring smile and motioned her to the dining room.

As the two girls reentered the dining room, Jill, Kris and Bill looked up, then immediately looked away.

Kelly sat down and stared at her plate. She wasn't hungry anymore. The room was awkwardly silent, as everyone fished for something to say. Her face got hot again.

"So-" Kris piped up. "How many women are trying out to make the police squad." she asked, her voice taking on a bright cheery tone.

Kelly whispered a quick prayer of thanks for Kris breaking the maddening silence.

"We started out with eight, and now there are only five." Jill answered her. "But we plan on sticking around, don't we ladies?" she asked flashing a grin and looking at her two companions.

Sabrina laughed. "To sticking around!" she said raising her cup in a toast.

Jill tapped her cup against Sabrina, and Kelly grudgingly did the same. She was still embarrassed by her outburst and couldn't bring herself to look at anyone, especially Bill. To his credit, he looked abashed and had been sitting quietly ever since Kelly got back. Sabrina must have told him off. Poor guy. She knew she would owe them all an explanation later and she wasn't looking forward to it.

The night wore on pleasantly enough, and Kelly gradually recovered somewhat from her shock and humiliation. When the clock struck midnight, Jill popped open the champagne cork and the girls squealed and giggled as the frothy liquid foamed from the bottle and all over the table. After mopping up the mess, they had gone out to the backyard and lounged in patio chairs on the deck area with glasses of champagne in hand, talking happily and discussing the upcoming year. At a quarter till two, Bill got up and announced that he was leaving. Sabrina stood as well and Jill followed to walk them out. Kelly was surprised to see Sabrina return with Jill a few minutes later.

"Hey, I'm gonna stick around here for tonight with you guys. We can all go back together tomorrow evening." she explained to Kelly as she came back.

Kelly looked around and realized that she was the only who had been surprised. They must have decided this when she was too busy agonizing over her outburst and reliving her past to pay attention to the conversation.

"Can I please have some champagne now that the cop is gone?" Kris asked her sister with a devious smile.

The three girls laughed at her comment.

Jill narrowed her eyes at her and then sighed. "You better not tell anybody about this. We don't want to get arrested, you know." she lectured as she poured her sister a glass of champagne.

She shot a pained, guilty look in Kelly's direction and immediately looked away.

Kelly closed her eyes. Was this going to be awkward forever? She wished she had stayed at the barracks.

Luckily, Kris changed the subject.

"I really think that it's great you three are going to be policewomen." she said taking a sip of her drink. "Show those men how it's done." she added with a wink.

Jill and Sabrina laughed.

The four girls polished off another bottle of champagne. Tipsy now, they started giggling, teasing each other, and speaking more freely. After an hour or so, Kris excused herself and went inside to go to bed. The three roommates remained, still wanting to enjoy each others company outside of the stressful environment of the police academy. The girls talked and giggled happily with each other.

After five glasses of champagne, Jill foudn she could no longer contain her curiosity.

"So, Kelly, tell us about that car. What happened with all that?" Jill asked Kelly as she took another sip of her drink.

Kelly stared at her. She turned her gaze to Sabrina and then back at Jill. The champagne had dulled her usual strict reservations about her past and she began to talk.

Her tongue loosened by the alcohol, Kelly told them exactly what had happened that night. Sabrina and Jill listened in astonishment. They roared with laughter as Kelly explained how she had fooled Bill and three other officers with her wild story. Kelly purposely ended her story right before she had been driven over to Bobby. Her two friends enjoyed it much more from her mouth then they had from Bill's and they laughed hysterically.

Finally, Sabrina wiped her eyes. "I'm glad I decided to stay here with you guys. I meant to ask you sooner, Jill. Me and Bill had a big fight just before we came."

Jill nodded. "We noticed you two didn't seem so-" she hunted for a word for a moment, then gave up and finished her drink.

"Yeah, I guess it's just all the stress of planning the wedding, ya know?" Sabrina said thoughtfully.

Jill leaned over and overzealously patted her arm. She was drunk.

"I'm sure that's all that it is, Bri. You guys will make up tomorrow, I'm sure. He seems like a great guy." she added.

Sabrina gave a rueful laugh. "I was hoping you're first impressions of him would be a little better." she turned to Kelly. "I'm real sorry about that, he gets so carried away sometimes. He didn't do it on purpose." she said apologetically.

Kelly waved her hand dismissively. It didn't seem to matter as much after six glasses of champagne.

"Hey, what happened to you after you got arrested?" Jill suddenly asked Kelly. "Did you have to go to jail?"

Kelly sobered immediately.

"Not long." she said quietly. "My foster father bailed me out with the money I had been saving." All of a sudden she deeply regretted telling her friends about her past. It was too late to take back now.

"I bet he was really ticked off at you!" Jill slurred. "Did you get in a lot of trouble?"

"He nearly killed me." Kelly blurted out angrily before she could stop herself.

Her companions stared at her.

It was Jill's turn to sober. She sat up straight.

"What?" she asked knitting her eyebrows in concern.

Kelly looked stricken. She was horrified at how easily she had just blurted out one of her most traumatic experiences. It was already out in the open. She might as well finish the story. And then never drink again.

"Did he really?" Sabrina asked. Her expression mirrored Jill's.

Kelly sighed and slumped in her chair.

"Yeah. He took me home and yelled at me and I mouthed off." she paused a moment. "And then he-" she paused again and took a deep breath.. This was the first time she had ever spoken about this. "He beat me up so badly, I was in the hospital for two weeks." she finished quickly. She licked her lips and looked away.

Sabrina and Jill sat still in disturbed silence.

"What happened to him? Did he go to jail?" Sabrina asked heatedly. She had also sobered and was leaning forward in her chair.

"Probably not." Kelly answered with a shrug.

"Why the hell not?" Jill cried, furious at her friend's revelation.

"Because I was a criminal. You heard Bill. I stole cars. That wasn't the first one I stole either. I did so many terrible things. And I kept pushing him. I deserved it." Kelly said emphatically.

"No, you definitely didn't deserve that." Sabrina stated firmly.

"Well, maybe you wouldn't be so quick to say that if Bill had been around for the rest of that night." she shot back bitterly.

Jill and Sabrina exchanged confused glances and then turned to stare at Kelly expectantly.

Kelly moaned softly to herself, appalled at what she had just unintentionally revealed. Was she that drunk? She couldn't seem to keep her mouth shut. Disgusted with her inability to control herself, she set down her glass and pushed it away. It had done enough damage for one night. She looked up. She hadn't planned on talking about this but her friends were still waiting for her explanation. Would they still accept her after they knew her secrets?

She sighed and braced herself.

"They drove me to where my friend Bobby was, the one who stole the Porsche, on the side of the freeway. Our friends tailed us there. They opened fire on the cops that were with us. Me and Bobby ran for it. We didn't check the street before we did. A truck hit him, barely missed me. He was killed, and so was another of our friends." she said hurriedly in an emotionless monotone, as if she was reading out of a book.

Sabrina and Jill looked floored. That explained her outburst earlier. They waited silently for Kelly to continue.

"I had several chances to tell the cops and I didn't. No one would have died if I hadn't been such a coward." she finished. She crossed her arms over her chest and looked off into the night, hoping that would satisfy their curiosity.

Sabrina rubbed her temples and looked at Jill, whose pretty face was twisted into an expression of shocked disbelief. That was definitely more than they had bargained for. She wanted to ask more questions but it was obvious that Kelly was not in the mood to go into further details. She focused on something else.

"Kelly, that's tragic and it's horrible, but it wasn't your fault. No one made your friends do something that stupid. You couldn't have known what was going to happen."

"I should have said something." Kelly insisted.

"Maybe, but it sounds like your friends were a rough group. Rougher than you thought. It's horrible what happened to them, but they made their choices and they suffered the consequences. It might even have been worse if you had told on them. They might have hurt you." Jill pointed out.

"I'm the only one who isn't dead or in jail right now and I made the same choices they did, how is that fair?" Kelly argued.

"I'd be willing to bet that you were different from them, Kell. So, you got lucky. Why hate yourself for it?"

"You don't know the awful things I used to do, Jill." Kelly said softly, still looking away.

Jill scoffed. "So that means you deserve to be miserable for the rest of your life and get the crap kicked out of you by your foster dad?"

"I mouthed off. I knew he was mad and I kept pushing him. I started it."

"You were upset. You'd been through hell. And it doesn't matter, Kell. He shouldn't have hurt you. No one has any excuse to hurt you."

Sabrina had a thought. Kelly was finally spilling everything she had been so determined to bottle up inside of her. It already seemed like an enormous burden to bear alone, and she'd been doing it so long. They could help her. This would do her so much good. She decided Kelly would forgive her for steering the conversation in a different direction. There was something she had long suspected and wanted to confirm.

"That wasn't the first time he hit you, was it?" she asked, narrowing her eyes at her friend.

Kelly looked away uncomfortably. That was answer enough.

"Did he ever hurt you in-" she gave her a knowing look. "other ways?"

Kelly let out a shaky breath. Why the hell not? They knew everything else now.

"Not him, someone else. " she admitted after some hesitation, her voice breaking slightly.

"Derek?" Jill guessed.

Kelly gave her head a slight nod.

"Who was Derek?" Sabrina asked.

Kelly paused for a moment. She couldn't believe she was going to tell them this.

"He was my foster brother, when I was fifteen. He made moves on me and I told him no. So one night he got drunk and decided he didn't need my permission." she said slowly. Euphemizing his actions made it bearable to talk about, but it was still so very painful.

Suddenly feeling embarrassed after admitting so much of her traumatic past, Kelly let out a short laugh. Needing something to do with her hands and unsure of what else to do, she reached for her glass again, and sipped her drink awkwardly. She held her glass to her lips longer than necessary, trying to hide her face which would have easily betrayed that she was on the verge of tears.

Sabrina and Jill absorbed this silently as they watched Kelly struggle with her emotions. It was heartbreaking and very unnatural seeing her this vulnerable. They instinctively moved closer to her.

"And let me guess, nothing happened to him either." Sabrina said finally with a look of disgust on her face.

Ashamed, Kelly shook her head.

Sabrina cursed under her breath.

"How did he get away with that?"

"His parents begged me not to tell. They paid me. I needed the money and no one would have believed me anyway." Kelly explained softly. Finally winning the battle, the tears spilled out of her eyes and down her cheeks. She let them.

Her friends stared at her, outraged at the injustice.

"You never told anyone?" Sabrina asked in disbelief, as she reached out and gently brushed the tears off of Kelly's face.

Kelly shook her head. "Just you two. I've never talked about it before. I've never talked about any of this before."

"Oh, Kelly." Jill said sympathetically, tears welling up in her own eyes. She reached out and took Kelly's hand.

"Did your other foster parents abuse you too?" Sabrina kept on, needing to know. Kelly's tragic childhood definitely shed some light on her adult behavior.

"Most of them." Kelly answered uncomfortably after awhile. "I was such a horrible kid, though."

"You never told anyone that you were being abused either?" Jill asked her.

Kelly shook her head and wiped her eyes.

"Why not, Kelly? You could have stopped it. Why didn't you ever ask for help?"

"I don't know, Jill. I guess I didn't even know that was an option. It was all I knew, I just thought that's how everyone's life was. I thought I was on my own. Plus, I was such a bad kid."

Sabrina slammed her glass on the table, causing Kelly and Jill to jump.

"Exactly! A kid, Kelly. You were a kid!" Sabrina said firmly. "A kid who got slapped around at home and shipped off every few months to live with another family that didn't protect her or care about her. Of course you lashed out. Kids do stupid things when they're hurt and confused and don't have anyone guiding them. The adults in your life were too busy beating the crap out of you to do what they were supposed to do. Help you grow up. You did that on your own, Kell, and you did a damn fine job of it. Yeah, you screwed up a little, got mixed in with what sounds like the wrong crowd, but instead of falling to pieces after all of that happened, you straightened yourself out. Look at you now. You're gonna be a cop. Most kids don't even come back from that kind of childhood. You overcame all of that because you're strong, Kelly, you're a fighter, and you have the rest of your life to do good and be happy. I love you, Kell." her voice broke and she paused for a moment to get her emotions in check.

"I love you too, Kelly" Jill picked up quietly in Sabrina's silence. "We just don't want you thinking that your past should hold you back from getting what you want and being happy." she finished for her. Sabrina, still blinking back tears, nodded her head.

Kelly stared at her friends, a pained expression on her face. They knew the worst of it and still loved her? She buried her face in her hands and started to sob, not able or willing to fight her tears any longer. Years of pent up guilt, fear, and pain released itself as the tears flooded down her cheeks and through her fingers.

Sabrina and Jill quickly rushed to her side, wrapping her in their comforting embrace, whispering soothing words in her ear. As hard as it was to see their friend this way, they knew that Kelly needed to let herself finally deal with all the hurt she had been hiding from all her life.

Kelly was grateful for her friend's presence as she sobbed and she leaned into them, asking without words for help for the first time in her life. They understood and held her supportively for several minutes, crying silently themselves while Kelly let it all out .

Finally, she lifted her head. Sabrina's words had completely rocked her. They had been difficult to hear, and while it would take time to fully believe what Sabrina had just said, she knew now that she could start trying to forgive herself. She felt lighter all of a sudden, like a weight had been lifted off of her shoulders.

She wiped her eyes and softly uttered words she had never spoken to anyone besides Lillibet.

"I love you guys, too."

Sabrina and Jill hugged her tightly. Kelly hugged them back, for once welcoming their affection. Sabrina gave her a quick kiss on the head and the girls pulled away from each other. They sat quietly for a few minutes, downing their drinks, recovering from the dark and painful conversation they had just shared, and waited for someone else to change the topic.

"We'll make sure nobody ever hurts you again. We'll be the sisters you never had." Jill said suddenly, turning to Kelly.

Kelly gave her a weak smile.

"No, I'm serious!" Jill slurred again as she stood to her feet, swaying slightly. "It's a new year now. In 1974, Kelly Garrett had no one looking out for her, but in 1975 she does!"

Sabrina laughed. "Jill, you're drunk, sit down." She pulled her friend back down into her seat.

Jill sat, but shook her head. "I mean it, though. You got us to watch your back now, Kelly. We'll take care of each other. All three of us. We gotta stick together. Like the-" she racked her intoxicated brain for a legendary trio.

"Like the Supremes!" she finished. It got the point across.

She reached out and took Kelly's hand, then grabbed Sabrina's and placed it on top of theirs.

"We're sticking together from now on. Got it?" she said seriously, looking back and forth between her two friends.

Kelly felt tears coming to her eyes again. Different tears. Happy tears. She was touched. She had never had anyone truly care about her since her friend Barbara. For the first time in her life, she felt safe. She realized these two girls meant a great deal to her. She couldn't imagine life without them. They were her family now and never again would she be alone.

Kelly and Sabrina looked at each other then back at Jill.

"Got it." they said together.


	27. Chapter 27

Chapter 27

March 15th, 1975

"Oh, that makes me so mad!" Sabrina vented furiously as she walked towards the locker room with Kelly and Jill.

Their martial arts instructor had spent the entire class picking on the girls and making snide comments about where he thought a woman's place was. Sensing Kelly's more reserved manner, he had singled her out especially. While demonstrating a flipping move, he had chosen Kelly to be his example. She willingly went forward and he had quickly flipped her over his back to the ground without giving her a chance to brace herself. She landed awkwardly with a cry of pain. Jill and Sabrina had been outraged. Sabrina had started to say something, but stopped when Kelly shot her a warning glance. Sabrina understood and reluctantly backed off. Though angry at the injustice, the girls felt they couldn't complain without showing weakness. Their instructor had used Kelly as his model throughout the entire class, deliberately hurting her as much as possible, his manner daring the women to say something. By the time the class was over, Sabrina and Jill were livid.

The three girls were scoring higher than most of the men were in their classes, and some of the men were threatened. It seemed the better they did, the more angry their male colleagues became. A few of the men were openly hostile to the women that they trained with, insulting them or making lewd comments. A few of the older instructors were the same way, singling out the women and trying their best to humiliate and discourage them.

Kelly, Sabrina, and Jill just grew more determined.

"It's fine, Bri." Kelly whispered, rubbing her sore hip.

"No, it's not fine!" Sabrina seethed. She noticed one of the men grinning at her from a distance. "What the hell are you looking at, asshole?" she snarled at him.

He wisely averted his eyes.

"Sabrina, calm down, it's really ok." Kelly said, putting her hand on her friend's shoulder, trying to quiet her.

"Yeah, I just had to stand there helpless and watch my best friend get beat up for two hours. That's swell, excuse me while I laugh and sing a song." she muttered angrily. "How are you ok with this?" she added.

"He didn't hurt me, Bri. Look at me, I'm fine." Kelly sighed.

"I am looking at you. You're limping, and look at your face. You're not fine."

Kelly groaned. "Well what were we supposed to do about it, Bri? Beg for mercy? Cry?"

Sabrina stared moodily ahead of her and said nothing.

Kelly sighed. Her hip did hurt, but she didn't want Sabrina angry on her account. Her friends could be very protective of her sometimes.

She turned to Jill for help.

"Don't look at me like that, I agree with her." Jill said flatly.

Kelly gave up and walked in silence to the locker room with her friends. The three girls walked inside and went towards their lockers. Kelly caught a glimpse of her reflection as she passed one of the full length mirrors. She vaguely remembered slamming the side of her face against her instructor's knee during their session.

And just in case she hadn't, there would be a great reminder in the morning.

"Ouch, Kell. That's gonna be a nice shiner tomorrow." Jill said, wincing. Her two friends had been behind her watching her with concern.

Kelly nodded and frowned as she gently fingered the tender area around her left eye.

"That's a look I haven't worn in a while. Hopefully, it's still in style."

Sabrina shook her head in disgust. "That fucking bastard, I could kill him."

Kelly tried to lighten the situation.

"Don't sugarcoat it, Bri, tell us how you really feel." she joked.

Sabrina rolled her eyes. "I wish I thought this was as funny as you do." she said bitterly.

Not wanting to upset her friend any more, Kelly abandoned her comedy act and gave her a quick hug. "I'm ok, really. He'll be worse if he sees that he's getting to you. Don't be mad Bri, that's exactly the reaction that they're looking for."

"Well, they got it." Sabrina muttered.

While Sabrina and Kelly talked, Jill ran a towel under some cold water. Wringing it out, she skipped over to her friends.

"Ok, watch out! Coming through! Make way! Dr. Jill is here" she sang. She pushed down on Kelly's shoulders. "Sit down, little one." she ordered sweetly.

Kelly sat down on the bench. Sabrina sat down next to her, Jill's antics managing to put a faint smile on her face.

"What are you doing?" Kelly asked, a little annoyed at being forced to sit.

Jill leaned over and pressed the towel against her friend's bruised eye. "What's it look like? Oh wait, you have no idea because you got your eye busted by some fat guy's knee." she sang pleasantly.

Kelly squirmed away from the cold towel, awkward and unaccustomed to being looked after.

"It's ok, Jill. It's fine."

Sabrina was grinning now. "You're not being a very good patient, Kell." she teased.

"Come on." Jill coaxed. She held the towel to Kelly's face again, despite her protesting.

"Ow, stop, Jill! I said it's fine." Kelly said, leaning away from her friend, trying but failing to escape her relentless mothering. Kelly was not happy.

Sabrina was.

"Hold still Kell! You're being a baby!" she laughed.

"I am not! She's trying to drown me!" Kelly sputtered back. She scooted into Sabrina in an attempt to get away.

Jill put her other hand on the opposite side of Kelly's face, trying to still her. "Kelly, quit being stubborn." she chided.

"Ugh, Jill! Ok, fine! I'll do it! Quit!" Kelly whined, finally jerking her head away.

Jill suddenly released her and took a step backwards with her hands on her hips, shooting her an irritated look.

"Will you just shut up and let me take care of you?"

Kelly looked up at Jill's stern face in surprise. Her friend was in full mother hen mode and there was nothing that could be done. Knowing the battle was over, she sighed and sat glumly in defeat. Jill, sensing victory, gently pressed the cold compress against her friend's face again. Kelly winced in pain, but wisely didn't protest.

"Thank you." Jill sighed in exasperation. She flipped the towel over to the colder side. "If you don't take care of it right away, then it's going to swell up. Jill is always right, you mustn't fight her. I know what I say."

"You also said the Beatles would get back together." Kelly said dryly.

"Give it time." Jill replied simply, unphased.

Sabrina was giggling uncontrollably now. Unable to turn her head for fear of Jill's wrath, Kelly glared sideways at her.

"I wish I thought this was as funny as you do." she shot at her, echoing her previous words.

Sabrina grinned and ruffled Kelly's hair affectionately.

"Kids these days." she said to Jill. "They whine about everything."

"We just have to do what we can and hope for the best." Jill sighed, shaking her head.

"No one said it would be easy being parents." Sabrina agreed solemnly.

Despite herself, Kelly giggled at her friends' teasing. She sat still and let Jill tend to her injury. The cool towel felt good on her sore face and Jill was absently stroking her hair with her free hand while the girls chatted, relaxing her and easing her headache. It felt strange but nice having someone fuss over her like this. Jill finally pulled the towel away, reached into her purse for a bandaid, and applied it to the small scrape on Kelly's face. Her job done, she patted Kelly on the head.

"There, was that so bad?"

"No ma'am. Thank you, Dr. Jill."

Jill nodded. "I'll write you a prescription for some ice. Pharmacist, can you make that happen?"

Sabrina nodded her head. "Yes, I think I have the recipe lying around somewhere."

"Good." she said then turned back to Kelly. "Meanwhile, keep the towel there. Come see me in the morning if there's any pain."

"Yes ma'am." Kelly said with a grin. Her eye did feel much better. She went to her locker and opened it to get her purse, holding the cold towel to her face obediently.

Sabrina and Jill watched her intently, arms folded, their stance that of two proud parents.

"They do grow up so fast." Jill sighed.

Sabrina nodded. "I swear though, the child simply can't stay out of trouble." she added, shaking her head.

The two girls burst into laughter as Kelly turned and made a face at them. The girls quickly cleaned up and exited the locker room, looking forward to dinner. Right before they were about to leave the gym a voice called out.

"Hey, Garrett! Can I borrow you a second, the new class wants to see a demonstration!"

The girls looked at each other.

"Don't you dare go back there. Keep walking, like you didn't hear him." Sabrina said to her through gritted teeth. She grabbed hold of Kelly's sleeve.

Kelly smiled. She had an idea. A rush of adrenaline surged through her as she shot her friends a mischievous grin and pulled away from Sabrina. With one last grin over her shoulder, she jogged over to the instructor.

They watched her go, knowing she was up to something. They knew that look all too well.

The instructor smiled at her as she took her place by his side. Then he turned to his class.

"Ok, men, when you have an unarmed opponent, there are several ways you can end a fight without throwing a punch. This ensures that the fight is ended as soon as possible with minimal damage to each side." the instructor said loudly, addressing the group of men that had gathered for the class.

"One way is an over the shoulder flip, which Garrett here has graciously agreed to demonstrate for us." he continued taking hold of Kelly's wrist.

She acted quickly, throwing her hip into his side, sweeping his legs out from under him, and using his momentum to flip him over her shoulder flat onto his back. Caught off guard, he hit the ground with a thud, knocking the wind out of him and leaving him shocked and confused on the mat.

Kelly grinned down at him. "Are there any questions?" she asked sweetly, turning to face the class.

There were no questions.

"May I go now, sir" she asked her instructor in the same sickeningly sweet tone.

He crawled to his feet and glared at her.

"Fifty pushups, Garrett! Now!" he wheezed holding his back.

Kelly grinned again and dropped to the floor to do her pushups. That had been worth it.

When she finished, she rose to her feet and stood at attention, hardly winded at all. Her instructor glared at her and waved her away.

She turned and jogged back to Sabrina and Jill, who had been watching the entire time. They crowded her as she approached them.

"You are my hero, Kell." Sabrina said with a laugh.

The three girls walked back to their dorm, slapping Kelly on the back and laughing merrily.

As graduation approached, the girls became more and more excited at their upcoming careers. They were at the top of their class and were sure to get excellent assignments. This motivated them to push themselves to their very limits, and the girls excelled in their final physical and written tests.

When graduation day came in May, they had stood proudly in their new uniforms and had received their badges. The ceremony went well and the girls enjoyed themselves. Kelly had planned to leave immediately after the ceremony, but Sabrina and Jill again convinced her to stay. She enjoyed a celebratory dinner with Sabrina, her father and Bill, and Jill and her family. Bill wisely did not bring up her past.

After graduation, things seemed to happen very quickly. Sabrina and Bill were married in a quiet ceremony. Jill, using her life savings, purchased a small beach house by the water, and Kelly, having nowhere to go and not enough money to rent an apartment of her own yet, moved in with her.

They had all graduated in the top three percent of their class, and had interviewed immediately for positions on the police force. They waited anxiously to see where the force would put them. When they found out, they were less than thrilled.

"I'm a meter maid?" Sabrina repeated for what seemed to be the hundredth time that night.

The girls were at Jill's house, drinking wine and nursing their injured pride. At the top of their class, and handed assignments that were usually reserved for aged officers about to retire.

It stung.

"At least you get to work on your tan. I'm a secretary. I learned how to type in high school." Jill said miserably. "They could have hired me when I was sixteen."

Kelly listened to her friends complain. She was just as unhappy as they were. She was a crossing guard for an elementary school. During the school day, she acted as security guard. It was probably going to the most boring job she'd ever done. But she tried to be positive.

"Well, maybe that's all they had right now. They could always reassign us." she said swirling her drink in her hand.

Jill scoffed.

"That moron, Cooper, is working vice. It took him over a month to learn how to hold his gun right." she said angrily. "He came in once with M&M's in his gun chamber. Said his kids had been playing with it. C'mon! He's gonna end up blowing his head off!"

Sabrina nodded. "It's because we're women, you know."

Kelly and Jill sighed. It was true and they all knew it.

"Look, we'll just have to do the best we can and prove that we can do better." Kelly said firmly, trying to lift her friends' spirits.

"How can we do that, Kelly? Our assignments are so brainless!" Sabrina fumed back at her.

Kelly didn't have an answer for her.

"I'm just happy I have a job." she said.

"Well, yeah, but I don't know why you'd be willing to settle for something that's beneath you." Sabrina shot back. Then she felt bad. Of course, she knew.

Kelly ignored her apologetic look.

"Look, they probably want us to quit. And I don't plan on quitting. I put everything I had into this." Kelly told her friends sadly. "I put all my savings into paying for the academy, I'm so broke I have to bum off of Jill. If I can't make this work then I have nothing left. I worked too hard to have to go back to waitressing." She sighed and ran a hand through her hair.

Sabrina and Jill looked at each other. The direness of Kelly's situation had never occurred to them. She couldn't be as picky as they could.

"I'm sorry, Kell. You're right." Sabrina apologized patting Kelly's hand.

"And you're not bumming off of me." Jill added. "We already went over that."

Kelly shook her head. "As soon as I'm on my feet, I'll get my own place, Jill." She hated the idea of Jill having to take care of her. But with her money gone and nowhere else to go, she had no choice.

"Stop, Kell. You're fine, you stay as long as you want to" Jill insisted.

"I'll pay you back Jill, I swear." Kelly said sincerely looking at her friend.

Jill laughed. "Stop, you don't owe me anything." She liked having Kelly around and couldn't understand why Kelly still felt so guilty about it.

"Ok, so we'll just do our best on Monday and see what happens. Agreed?" Sabrina asked taking charge of the conversation.

Kelly and Jill nodded in agreement.

"Good. Ok, well, I promised Bill I would be home by seven, so I better get going" Sabrina said, finishing her drink and grabbing her purse. "I'll see you guys Monday. Let me see those smiles we're putting on."

Kelly and Jill put on over exaggerated smiles and then laughed. Jill walked Sabrina out while Kelly cleared the table. She returned a few minutes later and helped Kelly with the dishes.

"Hey, Kell, you shouldn't feel so bad about staying here with me, you know." Jill mentioned casually as Kelly handed her a dish to dry.

"I do though. I don't like being a burden." Kelly admitted soaping up another glass.

"Well, you're not a burden. I wish you wouldn't think that. " Jill said quickly.

Kelly didn't say anything back. She knew Jill cared about her but she couldn't shake the feeling that she was inconveniencing her. It had been ingrained in her since she was a small child that she was a burden and despite Jill's best efforts the feeling remained.

The two girls finished the dishes and settled into the living room to watch some television before bed. They had been sitting for a couple of hours when there was a knock at the door. Giving Kelly a puzzled look, Jill got up to answer it. Kelly stood and followed her.

The girls were surprised to see Sabrina at the door. She looked like she'd been crying.

"Sabrina!"Jill cried in surprise. "What's wrong?" She led Sabrina to the couch and sat beside her. Kelly hurried to the kitchen and got her a glass of water.

"What's wrong, Bri?" Jill asked, concern on her face.

"Aw nothing, I just had a fight with Bill, that's all." Sabrina explained wiping her eyes and accepting the water glass from Kelly. Kelly sat down on her other side. "I've been driving around for an hour and I ended up back here."

"What happened?" Kelly asked her friend

Sabrina took a sip of water. "He doesn't like that I'm on the force now. I don't get it, he never said anything about it and now he wants me to quit."

Kelly and Jill looked at each other. Jill raised an eyebrow. They had confided in each other that they were worried about the state of Sabrina and Bill's marriage. The two were always bickering and spent more time apart than any other couple they knew.

"Aw Bri, I'm so sorry. Maybe he's just worried about you?" Jill reasoned with her putting a comforting arm around her shoulder.

Sabrina nodded. "That's what he says. That he doesn't want me to get hurt. But he should want me to be happy, shouldn't he?"

Kelly and Jill looked at each other, but neither could answer.

Sabrina groaned and buried her face in her hands. "I can't do this anymore. We've been fighting so much."

Kelly patted her friend's back. "All newlywed couples fight Bri, it's normal, you're just getting used to living with each other."

Sabrina shook her head. "No, not like this. You should see us, it's like we can't stand each other."

"Give it some more time Bri, you guys will find a way to work things out. It's only been a little over a month." Kelly said giving Sabrina a smile of encouragement.

"Yeah, I know. Thanks guys. Sorry for barging in on you. Were you busy?" Sabrina asked apologetically.

Kelly laughed. "Swamped. Jill was making me watch Kojak."

Sabrina made a face. "I hate that show."

Jill put on an expression of mock outrage. "How dare you! That is a great show!"

"Jill, you have no taste." Sabrina said back, shaking her head sadly.

Kelly and Sabrina laughed as Jill huffed and overdramatically turned her back to them.

"So, you feeling better?" Kelly asked Sabrina.

"Yeah, I am. You guys always make me feel better. I just wish Bill was more understanding." Sabrina said quietly.

Kelly gave her a sideways hug.

"He's just worried and doesn't know how to show it. He'll come around, I know he will."

Jill turned back around, apparently having already forgiven Sabrina.

"Yeah, Bri, he knows how much you want this job and how hard you worked for it."

Sabrina nodded her head slowly.

"Do you think we should have gotten married?" she asked her friends suddenly.

Kelly and Jill glanced at each other, each hoping the other would field the question.

Kelly was relieved when Jill started speaking.

"Bri, it's not either of our place to say. But I know if you two work at it, you can get past this." she said firmly.

Sabrina sighed and nodded her head.

"Yeah, thanks."

"Now, I think you need to have a little fun before you go back to Bill tonight." Jill said taking on a serious tone.

Kelly smiled, knowing what was coming.

"Let's go finish Kojak. Viciously attacking the things I enjoy always seems to make you smile." Jill finished without a hint of jest in her voice, pulling Sabrina to her feet.

Sabrina laughed and followed Jill to the living room where she and Kelly took a seat on the couch. Jill sat cross legged on the floor, wanting to be closer to the action.

"Thanks, guys" Sabrina said gratefully, leaning against Kelly. "I really appreciate it."

She looked at Jill and smiled. "You too, Kojak." she added.

Jill jumped from her spot on the floor and sprawled herself in both girl's laps.

"Who loves ya, baby?" she said with a coy grin looking up at Sabrina's face. She burst into giggles.

Kelly and Sabrina groaned.

"Tacky, Jill, very tacky." Kelly said shaking her head.


	28. Chapter 28

Chapter 28

August 28th, 1975

Kelly blew her whistle and held up her stop sign as she walked out into the middle of the street. It was 7:45 in the morning and the kids were heading to school in masses. She motioned the kids who were standing on the street corner to cross. She waited until the last child had crossed the street, before she lowered her sign and walked back to her corner. As soon as she reached it, three more boys showed up, running, yelling, and pushing each other.

"Hey guys, settle down please." she said to them as they reached her.

Two of the boys immediately stopped shoving. The other looked at her defiantly.

"You don't have to listen to her, she's not a real cop. She can't do anything to us." he said to his friends, purposely making his voice loud enough for her to hear.

Kelly looked at him but didn't say anything. The kid had a point. She sure didn't feel like a real cop.

She walked the boys across the street, fighting the urge to trip the loudmouth and then returned to her corner.

Had this been what she had worked so hard for?

They had been working for close to four months now. At first, Kelly had been grateful just to have a job that payed over minimum wage. She was still living with Jill, but had decided that after another paycheck or two, she would be able to move out and get her own apartment. As the months wore on however, Kelly became restless and frustrated with her job. It was boring. It was easy. It wasn't what she had planned to do for the rest of her life.

Kelly sighed as she heard the school bell ring from inside the building. She would wait about fifteen more minutes, to see if any latecomers were still on their way, and then she would walk around the building uselessly all day. Most days. Today would be a bit more exciting. Today she would get to turn in a form to the police station.

Thrilling.

At about 8:15, Kelly drove back to the station and parked her cruiser. It didn't even have lights on top of it. She walked into the station and headed to the records department. She had been assigned a real police cruiser when she had first started working, but was asked to trade it for another, since hers was needed elsewhere. She was turning in the form she had filled out for the new car.

Kelly pushed open the door to the records office and stepped inside. She was pleased to see Jill at her post, typing a letter. Jill, however, did not look pleased. She looked miserable. Kelly pitied her active friend. It must be torture to have so much energy and be forced to sit in a chair all day. Jill suddenly turned and noticed her.

Her face brightened instantly and she waved happily. Amused, and knowing that this was probably going to be the most exciting part of poor Jill's day, she waved back.

"Can I help you , Kelly?" a balding officer called from one of the offices, taking her focus off of Jill.

Kelly frowned. He called everyone else Officer. Officer Jones, Officer Smith. She was just Kelly to him. She shrugged it off.

"Hi, yeah, I have my cruiser insurance form." she said stepping towards him.

"Oh, excellent. Just wait there and I'll go get Martha to process it for you." he said, stepping back inside his office.

Kelly leaned against the wall by his door to wait. Bored, she looked back towards Jill.

Jill looked up and grinned at her then looked down at her typewriter and made a face.

Kelly smiled and made a gesture towards the stacks of paper covering Jill's desk.

Rolling her eyes, Jill pointed to the stack. Then, making a gun out of her fingers, pantomimed shooting herself in the head. Dramatically, and in slow motion, she rocked to the side and then slumped back in her chair, her tongue lolling out of her mouth.

Kelly snickered loudly and she quickly covered her mouth to muffle her laughter.

Jill still lay "dead".

Another officer walked past her and gave her a strange look. Jill popped up and quickly began typing again, her face turning bright red.

Kelly bit the insides of her cheek and fought the urge to burst into laughter.

"Kelly, come on in." the balding officer called out again. Kelly again turned away from Jill's antics and stepped inside.

"Martha won't be in until later. I'll give it to her for you. Here keep this with you." The officer didn't bother looking up as he handed Kelly another sheet of paper.

Kelly took it and walked out of his office. She waved goodbye to Jill, who blew her a kiss, and went back outside. She sighed as she got into her car.

The empty elementary school playground wasn't going to protect itself.

The girls met at 1:00 in a small café for their hour long lunch break.

"How is your day going Jill?" Sabrina asked. She looked exhausted and unhappy.

Jill sipped her coffee. "Extraordinaryly well. I am completely satisfied with the challenges of my day to day life." she deadpanned.

Kelly smiled sympathetically at her. Poor Jill.

"How are you Sabrina? You look kind of tired." Kelly asked her friend.

"I'm alright. Handing out tickets like its Halloween candy. I got told off by an old woman today. Another guy ripped up a ticket in my face. Yeah, today has been good. No complaints at all." she answered.

It seemed everyone was in the mood for sarcasm.

Kelly let out a bitter laugh. "Boy, when things get rough, nothing beats a cheerful companion."

Sabrina and Jill turned to stare at her.

Kelly laughed and held up her hands in surrender. "Ok. Fine, I'll jump on the wagon too. This morning, I got told by a little boy that I wasn't a real cop. If that helps anybody. It didn't help me, so I thought I'd pass it along." she offered with a sad smile.

Jill looked at her and tilted her head.

"The E button sticks on my damn typewriter. Do you know how often the letter E comes up in the English language? It's maddening."

"How often?" Sabrina asked.

Jill stared blankly at her.

"That was a rhetorical question, don't be cute."

"Wouldn't dream of it." Sabrina shot back with a grin.

"I wouldn't dram of it." Kelly quipped.

Jill glared at her.

"Vry funny."

The girls laughed at their terrible puns.

At least they had each other.

"How's it going with Bill?" Jill asked stirring her cup of coffee.

Sabrina sighed heavily. "We had a big fight a few days ago and we've been ignoring each other. It's like we're strangers that live together."

Jill frowned.

"Why don't you try to talk to him about it? You can't fix anything by ignoring each other." she said.

"I have, he just shuts down. I can't do this anymore. I think we're going to have to get a divorce." Sabrina said sadly running a hand through her hair.

Kelly and Jill gaped at her. They hadn't expected that.

"Sabrina, that not something to just toss around." Kelly said after recovering from her surprise.

"I know, I know. I'm not tossing it around. We can't get along, we can't have a simple argument without exploding at each other. It's been like that since we were dating, I don't know why I thought getting married would make it better." Sabrina said miserably, burying her face in her hands.

Jill signaled the waiter and pointed to Sabrina. "A glass of wine please?"

The waiter nodded, and walked off.

"Jill, she has to go back to work." Kelly admonished her friend.

"Not for like-" Jill glanced at her watch. "twenty four minutes."

Sabrina smiled.

"I talked to my dad about it last night. He thinks I should do what makes me happy." she said.

"What will make you happy, Bri?" Kelly asked.

Sabrina rested her head in her hands. "I don't know, Kelly. I never thought I'd be married and divorced before I was twenty two."

Kelly frowned at her friend. Sabrina's birthday was next weekend and she had been talking excitedly about going on a trip with Bill. She wondered if that was still in her plans.

The waiter set a glass of white whine by Sabrina. She pushed it away.

"Is it final then?" Jill asked, putting her hand over Sabrina's.

"I don't see any other way. We're both miserable. I'll talk to him tonight. See what he thinks. I'm sure it's going to be a mutual thing. We just rushed into marriage before we were ready." Sabrina answered softly.

The girls contemplated for a moment.

"I'm so sorry, Bri." Kelly said gently.

Sabrina shook her head.

"Don't be. I think we'll both be happier afterwards. I'll talk to him tonight."

"Call us after you do?" Kelly asked raising her eyebrows expectantly.

Sabrina nodded.

"Yeah, I'm sure I'll be needing some cheering up."

"We're always good for that." Kelly said as she drew Sabrina into a hug.

Sabrina laughed. "Don't I know it." She clapped her hands together. "Well, we better get going. Thanks for the wine Jill, but I don't think I should drink it since I'm going back to work and all."

Kelly laughed at Jill's pouting expression. "It's the thought that counts, Jill."

The three picked up their purses and rose from their chairs.

"Well, back to typing with my sticky typewriter." Jill said miserably.

"Back to handing out parking tickets and getting told off." Sabrina added.

"Back to walking kids across the street." Kelly finished the circuit.

The girls sighed.

All three burst into laughter as they simultaneously reached for the glass of wine.


	29. Chapter 29

Chapter 29

January 9th, 1976

Kelly walked excitedly up the stairs to Jill's beach house and let herself in.

"Jill!" she cried, looking around for her friend.

"In here!" came her distracted answer.

Kelly bounded into the living room following Jill's voice. Jill was happily watching a baseball game, sitting a foot from the television with an Angels ballcap on her head.

"Jill, I found a place!" Kelly revealed happily.

Jill hadn't heard her. She nodded her head like she had. Kelly frowned.

"Jill?"

"Hold on." Jill came back absently.

"Is Sesame Street on again?" Kelly teased, coming up behind Jill.

Jill nodded absently.

"Do I have to be a seven foot tall yellow bird to get your attention?"

Jill nodded again, entirely fixated on the ball game she was watching. It was the bottom of the ninth, the score was tied and the California Angels were at bat with one man on on second and two outs. Everything else would have to wait.

Kelly sat down on the couch behind Jill to see what she was watching.

"You know, Jim Henson is coming out with a new show later this month. I'm sure you'll be interested." she sang.

Jill, ignoring her completely, nodded again. One ball, two strikes.

Kelly grinned. She enjoyed this game. Jill wasn't paying attention and would nod her head in agreement to anything to shut her up. It amused her to no end.

Jill slowly nodded her head again as if Kelly had asked another question.

Kelly snickered and waited patiently.

Jill suddenly threw her hands up in the air, cheering excitedly and lunging towards the television.

"Go! Go! Go! Yes!" she shouted loudly.

Kelly jumped, startled by Jill's sudden outburst. Jill clapped her hands and whooped loudly. Her celebration over, she finally gave her attention to Kelly and turned the television off.

"Sorry, it was the last play of the game. The Angels won. Too bad it was just an exhibition game." Jill explained as she hopped up on the couch next to her.

Kelly shook her head and smiled at her friend.

"Congratulations, Jill." she said dryly. "You have two more months until the season starts. Try to pace yourself."

Living with Jill the past year had made Kelly an unwilling expert on most sports ever played. Jill loved watching sports and rattling off random facts about the game and its players. Kelly and Sabrina found it endearing at times.

Other times, not so much.

Jill grinned and plopped her cap on Kelly's head.

"So what are you all excited about?"

Kelly beamed. "I got my own place finally!"

"Oh. Well, that's great, Kell. You've been trying forever." Jill said with a forced smile.

She was sad that Kelly was putting so much effort into moving out. They had been having fun and she liked living with her. Sabrina had moved in for a few months following her separation from Bill last November, and for awhile it had been like old times.

"Aw Jill, don't be disappointed with me. I love staying here with you, but I have to get out on my own." Kelly said to her friend, sensing her feelings.

"Yeah, I know. It'll get lonely around here without you, though." Jill pouted.

Kelly grinned at her and put her cap back on her head.

"Hey, I'll visit all the time, I promise. Plus, baseball season will start soon and you won't even notice I'm gone."

Jill laughed.

"Well, I'm proud of you, Kelly." Jill said as she hugged her friend. "When do you move in?"

"Next week." Kelly answered her.

"Hey, far out, me and Bri will help you move. We're pros now." Jill laughed. They felt they were. They had all helped move Jill into her house, then had helped move Kris into her dorm room the previous September and Sabrina into her new apartment last month.

"It should take all of fifteen minutes, I don't have a lot of stuff." Kelly quipped dryly, looking around the room.

"Then we get to help you shop!" Jill exclaimed happily.

Kelly giggled at Jill's excitement. She couldn't help it. She was excited too. Though her job was boring, she brought home a steady income, had close friends, and was now finally stable enough to get herself her own place in a neighborhood where it was safe to walk around at night. She thought of her life a few years ago. It seemed so long ago. She had never dreamed things would be ever be going this well for her.

The girls helped move Kelly into her new place the following Saturday. They had a blast, as usual. Kelly's apartment was sparsely decorated, as she didn't have many things. Jill's mother had given Kelly one of the beds from the guest room and had donated a few necessities such as a kitchen table and a few chairs. She hadn't asked Kelly, she just sent them with Jill. The Munroe's certainly took care of their own.

Kelly lay in bed in her new apartment a few days later. It was early in the morning and she had the day off. Not wanting to get up quite yet, she burrowed under her blanket and closed her eyes. It was quiet in her apartment. Something that she wasn't used to living with Jill. Jill was an early riser and usually puttered around the house in the morning, making breakfast, listening to the radio, or singing to herself. Kelly smiled as she found herself missing Jill's early morning Boston and Queen serenades. It had been fun living with her two friends. And dangerous. The pranks were merciless. This was the first time she'd woken up on her own in a long time. Deciding she'd get out of bed at 8:30, she closed her eyes and felt herself drifting off peacefully.

There was a knock at the door.

Kelly opened her eyes and wondered if she had dreamt it. She listened closely.

The knock came again.

Mumbling to herself, Kelly crawled out of her warm nest, and shuffled to the door. Taking a quick look in the peephole, she saw an older man, maybe in his late forties, with dark hair combed into a side part. She felt herself tense. She didn't know him.

"Yes?" she called out through the door.

"Yes, hi! My name is John Bosley. I'd like a few minutes of your time, if you don't mind." the man answered, staring into the peephole as if he could see her.

"Ok." Kelly called again. She didn't open the door.

John Bosely waited expectantly for the door to open. Kelly saw his face take on a puzzled expression when it didn't.

"Go ahead." Kelly called again.

"Don't you want to sit down and talk inside." John Bosley yelled again through the door. He looked uncertain.

"I'm fine, Mr. Bosley, go ahead." Kelly said pleasantly, playing dumb. She knew he wanted to come in, but a girl can't be too careful.

"Ms. Garrett, I have a proposal for you, if you would just let me in for a moment. It won't take long." He gave her a friendly smile through the peephole.

Kelly frowned. He knew her name.

"Do I know you, sir?" she asked warily.

"No ma'am, but I've been sent by my associate to speak with you."

"Who's your associate, Mr. Bosley." Kelly asked again.

"I will reveal everything to you when we talk." Mr. Bosley said, giving the peephole another grin.

He really wasn't going to go away. What was this proposal about? Kelly was curious. Deciding she could take care of herself if it came to it, she decided to let him in.

"Give me a second."

She slipped into the bathroom and quickly brushed her teeth. Walking back to her room, she pulled on a pair of jeans and a sweater and tied her disheveled hair back into a ponytail. She reached into her night stand, pulled out her gun, loaded it, put on the safety lock, and hurried back to the door, shoving the gun in the waist of her jeans. She unlocked the door and opened it cautiously.

"Hello, Ms. Garrett!" Mr. Bosley said cheerfully.

"Hi." she answered back a little warily. She stood aside and let him in. He walked to the couch and talked to her as she shut the door.

"Well, it's nice to finally meet you. I must say you are a very lovely young lady, Ms. Garrett." he rattled on.

"Kelly, please." Kelly said in response. She didn't like this so far. He looked friendly enough, like someone's fun uncle. But she wanted to know what he wanted from her.

"Kelly, then." Mr. Bosley said happily. Then he gestured to the couch. "Shall we?"

"Oh, yes, please. Sit down." Kelly motioned to the couch. Mr. Bosley took a seat and grinned up at her. Kelly sat down as far from him as possible.

"So what's this about, Mr. Bosley?" she said crossing her arms in front of her chest.

"Well, Ms. Garrett- Kelly," he corrected himself. "I was sent by my associate Charles Townsend, we are both with Townsend Investigations." he explained.

Kelly paled.

"Hey, look, I did a lot of stupid things when I was a kid, but that was a long time ago. I'm with the L.A.P.D. now, so anything th-"

Bosely cut her off with a hearty laugh.

Kelly stopped talking and gave him a puzzled look.

" I'm not here investigating you." he explained, smiling in amusement.

Kelly blushed and felt foolish about her idiotic rambling.

"Oh. No, of course not. Nothing to investigate." she muttered.

"Kelly, I'm here to offer you a job." Mr. Bosley finished.

Alarm bells went off in Kelly's head. Why would some strange man be offering her a job?

"A job?" she repeated skeptically. "What kind of job?"

"A job with our agency, as a private detective." Mr. Bosley said.

"A private detective?" Kelly repeated again, giving him a confused look. Christ, she felt like a parrot.

"That's right, Kelly." Mr. Bosley gave her another friendly grin. "I realize you are employed now with the L.A.P.D., but I wanted to let you know that the benefits of working for us greatly surpass those of your current job.

"How so?" Kelly asked. How could anything surpass the joys of stepping out in traffic with a cardboard sign every morning, she thought humorlessly.

"The pay for one." Bosley answered. "We'll pay you almost double what you're making now. You'll be provided with a company car, a budget for wardrobe on a case by case basis, and full health insurance."

Kelly stared at him and raised an eyebrow.

Feeling he should go on, Bosley kept talking.

"The hours are flexible. You'll probably have more time off than on, however you must be available at all hours of the day. Also, if a case necessitates travel, all expenses will be paid for. You will be working together with myself and one other gentleman, two other field associates, and Charlie of course."

Kelly assumed Charlie was Charles Townsend. She wasn't sure if she should believe all of this. Her suspicious nature raised a question.

"Well, why me? Why would you come knocking on my door? I've never even heard of Townsend Investigations." she said. None of this made sense. It had to be a joke.

"Well, Kelly, Charlie was quite impressed with you and the work you've been doing with the L.A.P.D." he explained.

Kelly almost laughed in his face.

"I'm sure I must be quite the impressive sight as I walk back and forth across the street with my stop sign and whistle." she laughed sarcastically.

Mr. Bosley smiled at her.

"Charlie feels that you aren't being used to your full potential. You graduated in the top three percent of your class at the academy. Your shooting skills are off the chart and your driving skills are extraordinary. You would make a fine addition to our team" Bosley said seriously.

"And how do you know all this?" Kelly questioned him, ignoring his compliments.

"Well, Charlie wanted to know everything about your background, so he had me dig up some history on you. The academy gave us your test scores. That was the easy part." Bosley explained with a smile.

"My background?" Kelly said slowly. "How far back did he go?"

Bosley smiled at her.

" We know about your juvenile record, Kelly. But as we say in our business: Let bygones, be bygones."

Kelly looked away. "Do you really say that?"

Bosley laughed again. "No, not that I'm aware of. But your past crimes hold no interest for us. In fact, you may even need the skills you picked up as a young-" he paused to search for the right word. "felon to help you do this job."

"I might need to get high, steal cars and break into houses?" Kelly asked unbelievingly.

Bosley grinned at her. He was starting to take a liking to Kelly Garrett and her dry wit. He was glad Charlie had chosen her. "There will be a great deal of undercover work involved. Your street smarts may serve you well."

Kelly nodded her understanding.

"By the way, the drug use-" Bosley said nervously. "That isn't a problem, is it?"

Kelly laughed. "No, not at all. Haven't touched it since I was a kid."

Bosley looked relieved.

"I guess I should have figured. With you being a policewoman and all."

Kelly smiled.

"Well, what do you say, Kelly?" Bosley said, getting back on topic.

Kelly stared at him.

"I have to decide right now?" she asked.

"No, not at all, I can give you a few days if you like." Bosley said. He reached into his pocket, pulled out his card, and handed it to Kelly.

"Thanks." Kelly said, taking the card. "When do you want an answer?"

Bosley rose from his seat. "By Monday if possible."

Kelly nodded as she rose from her seat as well.

"I'll let you know, Mr. Bosley."

She walked him to the door.

"Please consider us, Kelly. Charlie is very selective about who he picks to be on our team. We both know you would do very well working with us." Bosley said over his should as he walked out the door.

"I will, thanks." Kelly said back.

She shut the door and looked at the card. This had to be some kind of joke. Why would anyone choose her? She was nobody.

Instantly, she heard Sabrina's voice in her head harping her for thinking negatively about herself. Sabrina had a minor in pyschology, and after hearing about the cruel psychological abuse inflicted on Kelly by James Hanover, she had decided to reverse his technique. It drove Kelly mad sometimes. Shaking her head, she smiled to herself and revised her thinking.

If this job was legitimate, it sounded like an amazing offer. Certainly more interesting than her current job. And the pay sounded almost too good to be true. But it would also mean leaving her friends and Kelly didn't know if she could do that. She sighed and walked to her phone. She needed to tell someone about this. She picked up the phone and brought it with her as she sat down on the couch. Her fingers hovered over the dial as she tried to decide if she should call Sabrina or Jill first.

Sabrina decided for her.

Kelly jumped as the phone suddenly rang. Annoyed, she picked it up.

"Hello?" she said.

"Kell! What are you doing?" Sabrina's voice came back breathlessly. Kelly was pleased to hear it was her.

"Hey, Bri, I was just going to call you." she answered.

"Oh yeah? What about?" Sabrina asked quickly. Kelly could tell she wanted to tell her something.

"You go first. What's up?" Kelly said.

"I had this guy come over last night and offer me a job as a private detective. It was the strangest thing. He knew everything about me and said I was exactly what they were looking for." Sabrina gushed excitedly.

Kelly's mouth hung open.

"I tried to call you last night to tell you, but you didn't answer. I told Jill about it."

Kelly felt a huge smile spread across her face.

"Bri, that same guy just left not five minutes ago from my place. I got offered the same thing too."

There was silence on Sabrina's end of the line.

"Wow Kelly, this is just crazy. I think we need to meet later on today and talk about this."

"I think so too. Do you think it's for real?" Kelly asked.

"I don't know, but if it is, it sounds like a great opportunity." Sabrina answered excitedly.

"I don't work today, when are you free?" Kelly asked her friend.

"My lunch break. Meet me around 1:00 at Derby's. Sound good?"

"Sounds good, Bri, I'll see you then."

Kelly hung up the phone feeling anxious and excited. Sabrina had been offered the same position as her. She had sounded enthusiastic about it. Kelly was sure that Sabrina would jump at the chance for a more exciting and rewarding job. If Bri took the job, she would too, Kelly decided. She felt a sudden pang of regret. She didn't want to leave Jill behind. Neither would Sabrina. And they had both worked so hard and dealt with so much to get into the police academy. Suddenly unsure, Kelly frowned to herself. They would talk at lunch.

Kelly looked at her clock. 8:15. She sighed. It was awhile before 1.

Full of restless energy, Kelly changed into a pair of shorts and a t-shirt and went for a run.

At 12:45, Kelly arrived at Derby's café and craned her neck looking for Sabrina. Not seeing her, she took a seat at a booth . She ordered a cup of coffee and sipped it while she waited for her friend to arrive. A young man about Kelly's age saw her sitting by herself and decided to impose on her.

"Hey, baby." he said with a sly grin as he slipped into the booth across from her.

Kelly gave him an exasperated look.

"I'm meeting someone here." she said curtly.

"I don't see anyone yet, can't we talk until your friend gets here?" he asked with what he must have assumed was a charming smile.

Kelly sighed in frustration. Now wasn't the time.

"So what's your name?" the guy asked leaning back in the booth.

Kelly glared at him. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Sabrina walk inside in full police uniform. Sabrina looked around, spotted Kelly and started walking towards her. As she neared her, she gave her a puzzled look, indicating Kelly's unwanted visitor.

A wonderful idea popped into Kelly's head. Knowing Sabrina was seconds away, she turned to the young man and answered his question in her most seductive voice. "My name is Kelly, what's yours?"

"Hey, that's better, I'm Lou." he said.

Kelly smiled suggestively at him, as Sabrina reached the booth.

Both Kelly and Lou turned to look at her.

"Oh hi, Officer Duncan. I almost thought you had forgotten our weekly meeting." she leaned towards Sabrina and lowered her voice slightly. "I've been trying to work on my anger management but nothing seems to help. Do you have any more pointers for me?" Kelly said putting an urgent expression on her face.

Sabrina, understanding Kelly's playful sense of humor, instantly played along. This game was a favorite among the three girls.

"I just don't know, Kelly. Nothing seems to work so far. Did you break anything this time?" she said with a straight face.

Kelly sighed miserably. "I ran over my neighbors lawn ornaments with my car. Do you think they'll commit me again?" She drummed her fingers on the table nervously.

"I'm not sure, everyone is afraid of you down there. I was told not to bring you back." Sabrina said shaking her head.

"I don't know what else to do, Officer Duncan. I'm afraid I might hurt somebody again if I don't figure out how to control myself." Kelly moaned, a pained expression on her face.

Lou had been uneasily looking back and forth between the two girls as they talked, his mouth hanging open dumbly.

"Hey, you know what? My friends are waiting, I better go." he said nervously as he slid out of the booth.

Kelly tilted her head at him.

"Oh, you don't have to go. We won't be long." she said.

"Yeah, I just remembered something." Lou stuttered, pointing towards his friends.

"No, no, stay! We'll be fifteen minutes tops." Sabrina said motioning him to sit.

"That's ok, take it easy." he said hurriedly walking away.

"Whatever happened to our chat?" Kelly said slowly to him, her look one of barely suppressed rage.

Lou turned around and quickened his pace.

Sabrina sat down in Lou's vacated seat and the two girls watched him break into a jog. When he got back to his table, they looked at each other and burst into laughter.

"You're terrible." Sabrina said with a grin.

"I do love that." Kelly admitted still laughing.

A waiter came and the girls ordered their lunch.

"So, about this detective thing. I've been thinking about it more and now I don't know what to do. What do you think?" Sabrina asked, getting to the matter at hand.

"I don't know, Bri. It sounds great, but I feel bad leaving Jill behind." Kelly admitted.

Sabrina nodded her head. "Yeah, me too. We can't leave Jill."

Kelly was about to say something when a flash of blonde hair and blue uniform flew to their table.

It was Jill.

"Hey!" she said breathlessly and slid into the booth next to Sabrina.

Kelly and Sabrina both jumped.

"Whoa! Jill, you nearly gave me a heart attack!" Sabrina said in a harsh whisper.

"Sorry, Lafferty told me you were here and I had to talk to you. That guy that talked to you last night came to see me during my cigarette break a few hours ago! He told me the same thing he told you!" Jill said, her words excited and strung together.

Kelly and Sabrina looked at each other in disbelief.

"He came and visited me this morning too!" Kelly exclaimed excitedly to Jill.

Jill looked dumbfounded.

"So all three of us then, wow!" she said.

Sabrina tilted her head.

"Your cigarette break? You don't smoke." she said giving Jill a suspicious look.

Jill giggled. "No, but smokers get a fifteen minute break, why shouldn't I? I just keep a carton of cigarettes in my purse and stand out there with them and enjoy the sunshine for a bit."

Kelly and Sabrina smiled and shook their heads. Oh, Jill.

"So, we were just talking about what we want to do about this job offer that apparently got placed in all three of our laps." Sabrina caught Jill up on their conversation. "I think we should either all take it or all turn it down."

"Absolutely, we're sticking together." Jill said nodding her head.

"Like the Supremes." Kelly added, grinning at Jill. That had quickly become one of girls' inside jokes.

"So, what do we think?" Sabrina asked looking at her two friends.

"How do we know it's for real?" Kelly spoke up first. "I don't want to quit this job that I've worked so hard for, for a scam."

Sabrina nodded her head.

"Yeah, I hear you. We'll have to check them out before we decide. How should we go about that?"

Jill shrugged as she sipped Kelly's coffee. "Maybe we can just ask around. Or talk to that Charlie guy, his number is on the card that Mr. Bosley gave me."

"I can do that, I'm not working today." Kelly offered, waiting patiently for Jill to put her cup down before she took a sip herself.

Sabrina nodded her head again. "Thanks Kell, let us know. We'll meet up after we find out and make a decision."

Jill looked thoughtful.

"It feels weird to be thinking about leaving the force when we went through hell to get in there in the first place." she said.

"Yeah, I know what you mean. I've been thinking about that too. Everyone wanted us to quit and we were so determined not to. I divorced my husband because we disagreed about that, and here I am thinking of quitting." Sabrina agreed.

"It's not like we wasted our time though, we'll probably need all of those skills we got at academy for this job too." Kelly pointed out.

Sabrina and Jill nodded their heads.

"Look, we'll check them out, make sure it's the real thing first, and then decide tomorrow, alright?" Sabrina said, looking between Kelly and Jill.

"Ok, I'll make something for dinner and you guys come over, sound good?" Jill offered.

Kelly and Sabrina agreed.

"Let's talk about it tomorrow night, then." Sabrina said with a smile.

The waiter came with Kelly and Sabrina's lunches.

They thanked him and immediately pushed their plates closer to Jill so she wouldn't have to reach so far when she inevitably picked off their plates. It was second nature now.


	30. Chapter 30

Chapter 30

January 10th, 1976

Kelly did her homework thouroughly. She spoke with Bosley on the phone for several minutes. He had been pleased to hear from her as she had been by far the most skeptical of the three girls. He had provided legitimate references and was very convincing. He also promised the girls a hefty sign on bonus. Kelly had nearly swallowed her tongue when she heard the amount this Charlie Townsend was willing to pay them just for agreeing to take this job.

Kelly spent the rest of the afternoon checking out the references Bosley had provided for her and by the time Sabrina called to say she was on her way to pick her up, Kelly was satisfied that this was a very real job offer.

Sabrina pulled up fifteen minutes later in her beat up, faded green Buick and blasted her customary three beat signal on her horn. Kelly was sitting impatiently by the door and rushed outside as soon as she heard it.

She waved as she jogged over to Sabrina and pulled the handle of the car door.

It wouldn't budge. Sabrina leaned over to unlock it, but it wasn't locked. She pulled the button up higher and gestured for Kelly to try again.

Kelly frowned and tried again with the same result. The door was stuck. This happened often and usually at the most inconvenient times. Sabrina's car was nearly as old as she was.

Kelly looked helplessly through the window at Sabrina, who gave her a perplexed look. Kelly shrugged her shoulders and grinned at her friend as she pointed to the door. Finally understanding, Sabrina rolled her eyes and waved her hand, motioning for Kelly to back away. She obeyed and Sabrina turned in her seat and slammed both feet into the door. It swung open with a loud wrenching creak.

Kelly popped her head in the car.

"Hey Bri!" she greeted happily.

"Hey, sorry about that."

"Whatever keeps our lives interesting, right?" Kelly quipped as she climbed into the car and pulled the door shut.

"Right." Sabrina said with a half smile, throwing her car in reserve and pulling out into the street. "So what'd you find out?"

"They seem to check out. I called about ten different places and they all knew this Townsend guy. Everyone spoke very highly about him."

Sabrina considered this for a moment before answering.

"So, I guess all that's left is deciding what we're going to do about this. You still for the all or none idea?"

"Of course. We stick together." Kelly said grinning at her friend.

"Like the Supremes." they chorused together and laughed.

The girls rolled to a stop at a red light and Sabrina's car stalled.

"God, I hate this piece of crap." Sabrina fumed as she restarted her car.

"Hey, it beats the bus." Kelly laughed as she watched Sabrina struggle with her car. "At least you don't have to sit next to a crazy hobo."

"Who says I'm not." Sabrina shot back with a laugh.

Kelly grinned and punched her shoulder playfully.

"I can't wait to get a new car," Sabrina said shaking her head in disgust. "My next car is going to be awesome, you just wait. It'll be real sporty and-" She paused for a second. "Red. Yeah, I think it'll be red. Cherry red. Just anything but this gross green color."

She sat with a dreamy look on her face as she pictured her future car.

Kelly smiled and gave Sabrina a comforting pat on the head.

"Then you can sell me this one and laugh at me every time it breaks down."

Sabrina scoffed. "Kell, I wouldn't sell my worst enemy this car."

The girls pulled up at Jill's ten minutes later and walked up to the door. Jill had insisted that Kelly and Sabrina both keep a key, so they let themselves in.

Jill was bustling around in her little kitchen. It smelled wonderful. She looked up as they entered.

"Hey!" she called happily "Hope you girls are in the mood for casserole."

Kelly grinned at her. "Me too. 'Cause otherwise we'd be disappointed."

"Plus, it's already mixed up, so we don't have to watch you mutilate your food." Sabrina added.

"See, everybody wins." Jill said, flashing her friends a gleaming smile.

The girls helped Jill set the table and sat down to eat, wondering who would bring up the topic that brought them to Jill's in the first place. As usual, Sabrina took the lead.

"So, Kelly did some fact checking and Townsend Investigations seems to be legitimate. So, now we're left with our decisions. What do we think about this job offer?"

Jill swallowed the food in her mouth. "We worked so hard to get in the academy. Do we really want to leave so soon? There's still a chance we could get moved up."

Kelly looked thoughtful.

"You know, I don't think it's going to get much better for us. They don't want us there, and I'm sure they'll be thrilled if we leave. We'll have better jobs, too. Everyone wins."

Sabrina nodded her head and took a drink of her iced tea.

"I don't like the idea of leaving either. It feels like I could have saved my marriage if I had left sooner, ya know, instead of fighting for it so hard." She tilted her head thoughtfully. " But on the other hand, I'm not going to be miserable just to prove to everyone that I'm not a quitter when there's something better that I can be doing."

"I'm sure Bill wouldn't have agreed with your being a private detective either." Jill pointed out.

"Yeah, probably not. It just feels so weird that I defended my job at L.A.P.D. so hard to him, and now here I am, months after our divorce, considering leaving it."

Kelly gave her a sympathetic look. She had a feeling Sabrina still cared for Bill. Though they were divorced, they still saw each other and went out together. Sabrina had even chosen to keep his last name.

"Your divorce was more complicated than that Bri, don't let it affect your decision. And you've still got us." Jill said, patting her hand.

Kelly nodded her head.

"And we'll be together no matter what we decide."

Jill mumbled something indiscernible through a mouthful of food. Kelly didn't understand but she had a feeling she knew what she had said.

Sabrina smiled at her friends.

"Should we vote?" Jill offered.

"Yeah. I vote we take it. Someone thinks we're capable of this job and cut out for more than what we're doing now. I want to believe that that's true." Sabrina said thoughtfully.

"I say yes. Let someone else type up reports." Jill added in quickly.

Both girls looked at Kelly for her decision.

Kelly nodded her head and grinned.

"Well, the Supremes aren't the Supremes when there's just two of them. I say yes, let's go for it."

The girls shared a pleased look with each other and clasped hands.

This was going to be the start of something great, they could feel it.

Early Monday morning before work, they gathered at Sabrina's apartment to call Bosley. They sat by the phone, unsure of who should actually make the call.

Jill raised an eyebrow at her companions and stuck out an open palm and a fist, indicating they should play odds and evens for it.

Kelly and Sabrina nodded and the three girls quickly beat their open palm three times. When they had finished, Sabrina and Jill held out one finger and Kelly held out two.

"You're up, slugger." Jill said with a grin as she handed Kelly the reciever. Kelly accepted it with a rueful smile. She couldn't remember the last time she had ever not lost that game.

With Sabrina and Jill practically sitting in her lap by the receiver, Kelly dialed the number and listened to it ring on the other side.

After three rings, a cheerful male voice answered.

"Townsend Investigations, Bosley speaking."

Sabrina and Jill leaned their heads closer to the reciever to hear as much as they could. Kelly fought back the urge to giggle, she knew the three of them must have made a ridiculous sight.

"Hi, Mr. Bosley, this is Kelly Garrett. We spoke the other day." she greeted him.

"Ah yes, Kelly!" he said happily. "How can I help you?"

"Well, Mr. Bosley, we've been thinking about your offer and we've decided to take it." Kelly said simply.

Bosley was silent for a moment. Then he came back, his voice a bit louder and more excited.

"Well, that is wonderful news to us, Kelly! And did you say we?"

Sabrina and Jill inched closer. The girls' heads were now pressed together.

"Yes, me Sabrina and Jill have decided to take your offer." Kelly said, blowing a piece of Jill's hair out of her mouth.

"Oh excellent! Are they there with you?" Bosley asked.

"Yes!" Sabrina and Jill chorused in Kelly's ear.

"Well, hello Ms. Duncan, Ms. Munroe"

Sabrina waved stupidly and Jill pointed and laughed silently at her.

"They say hi." Kelly said for them, holding back a laugh at Sabrina's expense.

"Well, Charlie is definitely going to pleased. Why don't we set up a meeting for a few weeks from now, that way you'll have time to put in your two weeks notice at the force. I'll meet you at 9:00 on March 1st at our office. I believe the address is on the card."

"That sounds great, Mr. Bosley. Will we meet Mr. Townsend as well?" Kelly asked.

"Yes, in a matter of speaking." Bosley said slowly. "But I look forward to seeing all three of you again. See you on the first, have a wonderful day, ladies."

"Thanks, goodbye." Kelly said.

She heard a click on the other end of the line and giggled as she shoved Sabrina and Jill away and hung up the phone.

"Well, that's that." she said, grinning from ear to ear. She felt giddy all of a sudden.

"I feel really good about this." Jill added. "Come on, let's celebrate after work."

"Where do you want to go?" Sabrina asked her as she grabbed her keys.

"Nowhere, we can meet back here and write our resignation letters." Jill laughed.

Kelly smiled. That sure sounded like a good time to her.


	31. Chapter 31

Chapter 31

March 1st, 1976

The three girls arrived at Townsend Investigations at nine in the morning for their meeting. The past few weeks had been a blur. They had turned in their letters of resignation the following morning after their talk with Bosley. Their superiors had been suspicious of all three quitting on the same day, but hadn't hassled them very much over it. That made Kelly feel more confident about her decision. She knew better than the others what it was like to not be wanted, and she knew she was surely not wanted on the police force. This Townsend man however, had gone out of his way to entice them with this job.

Kelly, Sabrina and Jill huddled closely together as they opened the front door and stepped inside. They were in a carpeted hallway. A receptionist's desk was in a corner, but no one was sitting there. They looked to the left and saw a pair of double doors. Giving each other a look, they headed towards them and Jill knocked lightly.

The doors opened a few seconds later and Bosley's happy face beamed at them from inside the room.

"Ah, ladies, please come in." he said with an extravagant gesture.

Kelly gasped as she took in the lavishly decorated office. It looked more like a drawing room, with expensive looking couches and chairs set up in the middle, a big desk back near the shelf lined walls. Beautiful old paintings hung on the wall and was that a bar? What kind of office has a bar?

Her new office.

"Please sit down, ladies, I'll get Charlie." Bosley said making a sweeping gesture toward the overstuffed couches.

Kelly snapped back to attention and sat down next to Sabrina. They had all talked about how anxious they were to meet this mysterious Charlie and Kelly was greatly looking forward to seeing him. She turned to see if Sabrina and Jill were as excited as she was.

Jill was still standing, her mouth hanging open as she looked around the room.

Sabrina took her arm and pulled her into the seat.

The three girls watched with interest as Bosley went to the phone and dialed. After a few moments, he spoke.

"Charlie, all present and accounted for." he said into the phone, then pushed a button. Kelly furrowed her brow. Wait... She turned to look at the door, half expecting him to walk in.

"Hello, angels!" a cultured voice boomed out from the squawk box that none of the girls had noticed.

All three girls jumped back in surprise.

"Hello." they chorused with uncertainty, sharing a look of bewilderment.

Kelly racked her brain for any memory of proper squawk box etiquette, then decided it didn't exist.

"As you might have guessed, my name is Charles Townsend. You may call me Charlie. I have put this team together because I believe that the three of you each possess a certain set of skills and talents that will be very useful. As private detectives, you will use your unique talents to solve any cases that might come our way. You needn't worry about ethics or morality. I carefully screen clients' motives before cases are brought to you. You will be known as Charlie's Angels. Working with you will be Bosley whom you have already met, and our other associate Scott Woodville, who will be along shortly."

Sabrina shot Kelly a look which she immediately understood. She was thinking the same thing. Charlie's Angels?

Charlie went on. "You will never meet me in person. I'm afraid that any contact we have will be over the phone for security reasons. I will also ask that you agree to be completely flexible with your time, as I would like you to be available to work whenever necessary. I will provide you with answering machines. Whenever you are not home, I'd like you to record a message saying where you are and how you can be reached in case I have the need to contact you."

The girls looked at each other again, but didn't speak. This was getting stranger by the minute.

"In return for your commitment, I will also provide you a company car, which Bosley will show you later, full benefits, and a generous salary plus a sign on bonus check, which Bosley will give you on your way out. I promise that you will be happy working here and if you ever need anything you can always call me, day or night. Are there any questions, angels?"

The three girls sat with raised eyebrows staring at the squawk box. There were several questions, but none of the girls seeemed to know how to go about asking, so they remained quiet.

"If there are no questions, I'd like to hear each of you speak, so I can know your voice. Sabrina, if you would introduce yourself first, please?"

Sabrina sat with her mouth open, not sure what to say. Kelly elbowed her to end the awkward silence.

"Hi, Charlie." she finally stammered. "I'm Sabrina Duncan." She gave her friends a bewildered look. What else?

"Hello, Sabrina." Charlie greeted warmly. "I understand you like to ride horses?"

Sabrina looked puzzled. "Yes, I've been riding since I was a little girl. My dad taught me."

"Good, good Sabrina. You have a very distinct voice, I'll have no trouble telling you apart. Jill?"

Jill had been laughing silently at Sabrina's awkwardness. Upon hearing her name, she turned and fearlessly introduced herself in her bubbly voice.

"Hi, Charlie, I'm Jill Munroe. What do you know about me?" she said with a flirty smile.

"Hello, Jill. I know that you are quite the athlete. A top ranking swimmer and tennis player in high school, am I correct?"

"That you are Charlie. You certainly did your homework." she finished.

Charlie chuckled. "It seems telling you three apart will be easier than anticipated. Kelly?"

Kelly looked up and then wondered why she was making an effort to maintain eye contact with a squawk box.

"Hi, Charlie. I'm Kelly Garrett." Kelly said. "And I hope you don't want to talk about my high school activities."

Charlie chuckled again. "No, angel, that won't be necessary. Though you did do quite well on the gymnastics and track teams when you-" he paused. "applied yourself."

"Thanks, Charlie." Kelly couldn't believe how quickly she was becoming accustomed to this.

"Well, angels. Thank you very much for your time and for your decision to be a part of our team. Bosley has some things for you and then you can be on your way as soon as you finish the paperwork. Remember to always leave a message on your whereabouts. I will be calling for you soon. Goodbye angels."

"Goodbye Charlie." they chorused much less awkwardly than before.

Bosley hung up the phone.

"Well, ladies?"

They grinned at him and shrugged.

Bosley chuckled. "I do believe I have some things to hand out to you."

The girls met Scott Woodville, who Charlie had mentioned a few minutes later, when he walked in. He was a tall, distinguished looking man, very businesslike. He introduced himself but couldn't stay long. They each received a brand new answering machine, their bonus checks, and the keys to a new company car. Kelly had been given a new yellow Ford Mustang. She couldn't help but feel deliriously happy, she had never owned a car before and to have one that was so nice was a dream come true. Jill had gotten a white Ford Cobra II Mustang.

For some strange reason, the third car was a new orange Ford Pinto. Sabrina gladly took it. Anything was better than her old clunker.

The bonus check had been extremely generous and Kelly decided to give up her apartment life and use the money to close on a small house. Her friends had been thrilled for her. She would move in later that month.

The answering machine had puzzled them all and it had taken their combined efforts to set it up properly in each of their homes. Kelly had joked that they should move in together so they only had to set it up once. Frustrated with the complex machine, they had almost considered it.

Kelly had the most trouble remembering to leave a message for Charlie each time she left her house at first, but gradually she got used to it.

The next two weeks seemed strange to Kelly. She had nothing to do and spent most of her time with Sabrina and Jill, who also were looking for ways to occupy their time. Not sure of what else to do, the three had taken to exercising frequently together.

One morning, a few weeks after their meeting, Kelly decided to visit the gym and have a workout on the parallel bars. She had recently picked up her gymnastics again, and was slowly getting her skills back. She felt like she should be in top physical condition, but didn't know why. As she worked out, a gym employee approached her.

"Ms. Garrett?" he called to her.

Kelly dropped to the ground gracefully and jogged over to him.

"Yes?" she said politely, wiping her face on her towel.

"Phone call, ma'am." he said pointing to the front desk.

Kelly moaned. She realized she had forgotten to leave a message before she left her apartment that morning and Charlie had of course chosen this day to call her. There was no doubt in her mind that it was Charlie.

Kelly reached over the desk and picked up the phone.

"Hello?"

"Kelly, you forgot to leave a message for me. I had to guess where you were." Charlie's voice chided gently.

"I know, I'm sorry, it won't happen again." she apologized.

"Of course not, angel. Please work on that" he said kindly.

"Will do, Charlie."

"Well, angel. It's time to go to work." his voice came back pleasantly.

"Ok, Charlie." she said happily. It sure was. She hung up the phone and headed to the locker room to grab her things.

Kelly walked out of the gym with an excited bounce in her step.

She felt that old familiar rush of adrenaline surge through her once more as she faced a new, unknown chapter in her life.

She grinned to herself.

Time to go to work.


End file.
